Harry Potter and the Beauvol
by B-A-HPlova22
Summary: Harry begins the summer after fifth year gloomily, but everything is about to change. A new pet companion brings with it new discoveries. If you are reading please REVIEW! I have a lot more hits than reviews...exit groveling author
1. An Early Departure

Chapter 1-An early Departure

Harry lay on his bed in his room at Number 4 Privet Drive staring up at the ceiling and trying hard to force back the tears that were threatening to spill over his eyelids. It was the first night back at the Dursley's, and he lay awake thinking of _that night_. It had been the worst night of his life, and he could not get it out of his mind the fact that it was all his fault.

Voldemort, the darkest and second most powerful wizard known to Wizard kind (Dumbledore was first, of course), had lured Harry into the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. Harry had been foolish enough to fall into the trap, and because of Harry's pride and rashness, his godfather, Sirius Black had…_No, think about something else. _And then he realized that trying to think about something else would only make him think about his godfather's--well--even more. He took a deep and shuddering breath. There was no getting around it. Sirius was--he was---dead. _There, I've done it. I've said it. _

He had been avoiding the pronunciation because he didn't want to believe it. _It's just not fair_, he thought._ Everyone who has ever meant anything to me has been killed. _This was only somewhat true. He still had Ron and Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys, and pretty much everybody at Hogwarts (excluding the Slytherins, of course), but the fact of the matter was that he never had the chance to know his parents because they were killed by Voldemort, and now the only parent-figure he had ever known was gone as well. _I wish you were still here, Sirius_, Harry thought, desperately trying to maintain some kind of connection-even if it was imaginary.

Out of nowhere, in the back of his mind, Harry heard his godfather's voice saying,

"Me, too Harry. But you have to let go. You have a job to do. You have the weight of the entire Wizarding community on your shoulders, and the last thing you need to worry about is me. No pressure, though." There was a smile in his voice.

Somehow the voice comforted Harry, and he knew it was true. He just didn't want to give it all up.

He let his thoughts wander elsewhere for a moment or two, and they stopped on something that happened on the last day of term the previous year.

Her voice flooded into his head as he recalled the conversation:

"_Well, I've lost most of my possessions," said Luna serenely. "People take them and hide them, you know. But as it's the last night, I really do need them back, so I've been putting up signs."_

_She gestured toward the notice board, upon which, sure enough, she had pinned a list of all her missing books and clothes, with a plea for their return._

_An odd feeling rose in Harry--an emotion quite apart from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius's death. It was a few moments before he realized that he was feeling sorry for Luna. _

And at that moment those same emotions filled him up in his room at Privet Drive.

"_Oh, no," she said, smiling at him, "They'll come back, they always do in the end. It was just that I wanted to pack tonight. Anyway…why aren't _you_ at the feast?"_

_Harry shrugged. "Just didn't feel like it."  
_

"_No," said Luna, observing him with those oddly misty, protuberant eyes. "I don't suppose you do. That man the Death Eaters killed was your godfather, wasn't he? Ginny told me."_

_Harry nodded curtly, but found that for some reason he did not mind Luna talking about Sirius. _

Harry sat there for a while thinking about Luna and what she had said that night, and he actually momentarily forgot to think about Sirius's death. He shook his head and sat up. The clock on the bedside table showed 9:30. Harry looked outside and saw a brilliantly bright sun showing through the window. Apparently he had spent the entire night thinking, which left no time for sleeping. _And so the summer begins_, he thought.

Two weeks had passed, and Harry had resigned himself to the daily drone of the Dursley dwelling. His Aunt Petunia had been unusually quiet and reserved and had quit ordering him to do so many chores, and his Uncle Vernon had been even more pushy, reminding him to send a letter to one of his "freak friends (if you could call them friends)" every three days. Dudley was as massive as ever, but his "baby fat," as Petunia had called it, had melted away to be replaced by pure muscle bulk. He was not, however, any less afraid that Harry might jump up and start cursing his entire family into oblivion, and Harry supposed that the dementor attack last summer was an occurrence Dudley was not anxious to repeat.

It had become apparent to Harry that his wizard friends were more worried about Harry than he was about Voldemort when he had received four letters on his first full day back from school, one each from Ron, Hermione, Lupin, and Dumbledore. They all were nothing special, and all of them also contained the same points. To put it blatantly, everyone wanted him to get over his godfather's death and focus on the something else. _Easier said than done_, he had thought when he was reading the first of these letters. They also seemed to want him to practice occlumency 24-7, which Harry had started doing the moment he stepped into his relatives' house. It had been difficult blocking his mind, though, seeing as his godfather had just recently died, but he knew that he had to do it. He always had the prophecy lurking in his mind…_and either must die at the hand of the other…for neither can live while the other survives_. Kill or be killed. And Harry was not giving in without one heck of a fight.

Every day thereafter he received at least three letters, and every three days he sent one. Just like the previous summer, Harry was cut off from everything in the wizarding world, in his world, but this year he didn't blame anyone. He knew that they couldn't send anything that contained real information. It might be intercepted. If he had learned anything last year, it was cautiousness. Do not go into a fight without a plan. Someone's always watching. Still, he was anxious to get out of the hell-hole that was the Dursley's, and what little patience he had was waning away quickly.

"Potter, get down here!!" It was Vernon, screaming the same way he did when Ron had called on the "felly tone," and made the mistake of yelling into the receiver. He sounded a bit frightened.

Harry got up reluctantly, and only because of the scared tone in his uncle's voice, and descended the stairs tiredly. What he saw at the bottom when he finally looked up from the floor made his jaw drop.

It was Sirius, standing there looking just as he did at his parents' wedding. His hair was short and well-washed, and he was smiling so widely that it looked unnatural.

"Are you ready to leave for my place," he asked Harry, still with that ridiculous smile.

Harry couldn't contain himself; he jumped for joy and sprinted back up the stairs to grab his things. When he returned from the trip to his room, the scenery had changed. He was not at the top of the Dursley's stairs, but at the top of the stairs in the room in the Department of Mysteries. He was there, watching the scene with panic as members of the Order rushed passed him, most of them locked in battle with a Death Eater. Then he diverted his attention to the center, where an archway with a black veil was raised on a stone dais, and where his godfather was dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater and his own cousin. And then he saw it again, as if in slow motion, the video that had been playing in his mind since that night in the Ministry of Magic. Sirius was hit with a jet of red light--there was a moment in which his facial expression went from that of triumph to one of surprise--and then he fell through the veil.

Harry woke up on the dirty floor of Number 12, Grimmuald Place, sweating profusely and crying. Ever since the guard had taken him from the Dursley's a week ago he was having the same dream. They had arrived in much the same fashion as Sirius had in his dream, scaring the wits out of the Dursleys (not that they had any wits in the first place) and causing him complete joy. But now the joy that had filled him when he first found out that he was going to leave Privet drive only two-and-a-half weeks into the summer term was gone. The house reminded him so much of his godfather that he could not stop thinking about him no matter what he did.

Number 12, Grimmuald Place, however, had changed considerably since his visit last Christmas. Sirius had left nearly everything in his possession to Harry, but also gave plenty to the Weasleys, as well. After he died the apparent Permanent Sticking Charm had worn off all of the Black family heirlooms, including the portrait of Mrs. Black, the shrunken house-elf heads, and the family tree tapestry. When Harry wrote a letter asking Hermione about this she had told him matter-of-factly, "Dumbledore says that certain types of Permanent Sticking Charms only work as long as at least one member of the family of the person that used it is alive. After that, it wears off." As a result, the house cleaning duties had become enormously easier and the house took on a more cheery expression. The only reminders that the previous owners had been adamant supporters of the Dark Arts were the snake-shaped doorknob handles.

When Harry arrived at _his _house-because that's what it was, now-he was welcomed by a small number of people. He has expected Hermione and all the Weasleys to be present already because he had become accustomed to being the last to arrive, but there were only Albus Dumbledore and Mundungus Fletcher there to greet him, and the latter was actually just leaving.

Harry immediately opened his mouth to start asking questions-why he was here so early, what was happening with the Order and Voldemort-but Dumbledore stopped him before he could utter a single syllable.

"Harry, I know you have a lot of questions, but let me tell you a few things first. I don't know whether you are getting the _Daily Prophet_ anymore," and Harry shook his head, "but there have been quite a few incidents that make me believe that you are no longer safe at your aunt's home anymore, even with the protection I told you about. You see, Voldemort cannot touch you there, but other things-like dementors-still can." He paused to gaze at Harry. "Harry, the dementors have joined Voldemort, and all the Death Eaters that were in Azkaban are now free. He has put all of his efforts into finding you and figuring out a way to kill you. Most importantly, Harry, he has--" Dumbledore wavered for a second here.

"What is it, professor?"

"He has discovered another source for the prophecy."

"_What?!?_ Voldemort has heard the whole prophecy, now? So much for having the upper hand!" Harry was nearing a state of panic, now. He started pacing the entrance hallway in his newly-acquired house.

"No, Harry, I said that he has discovered another source. He has not yet heard it in its entirety. The Order, very fortunately, found out about his discovery only hours after he knew it himself. We now have it heavily guarded. It is safe for now."

"But what is the source? The only other place I can think of is your pensieve, and it's easy enough to remove your memory from it."

"You're right, Harry, it is not my pensieve he is after." He had a slight twinkle in his eye when he said this. "But I am afraid that if I disclose the information to you it would make life more difficult for you. Voldemort does not know that we know what he has discovered, and he assumes that we have always had all sources heavily guarded. If I tell you what it is he could have access to it-through your mind, of course. Which brings me to my next point. Harry, have you been practicing occlumency?"

Harry looked down to the floor and mumbled, "I've tried, I really have. It's just that it's so hard just now." He hoped Dumbledore would understand why he wasn't having much success in his practice.

"Harry, I understand. But I want to test you to see how far along you really are. Take out your wand."

"But, professor, what about the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery?"

"Not to worry, Harry. I've discussed the matter with Amelia Bones, the new Minister of Magic, and she has consented to let you us magic outside of school, as long as you are in this house. But you are not to use it for every little thing, understand?"

Harry was grinning broadly. "Yeah, alright." He took out his wand and readied himself for the attack on his mind that he knew was coming.

"Let's go somewhere out of the way, Harry. I don't want you to be distracted, and if someone walks in here just now, this would look a bit awkward, don't you think?" He half-grinned and lead Harry to a separate room to the right of the doorway. "Ready Harry," and he nodded, "one, two , three."

Dumbledore had not even said the incantation, but the force of the spell hit Harry hard. He had prepared himself for the intrusion, emptying his mind of all thoughts and emotions, but he was nonetheless surprised when the spell hit him. It wasn't the same as Snape's Legilimency. This was a pleading, prodding spell, and it felt like someone was trying to wake him up, at first gently asking, and then a more rough shake. Harry lasted about 15 seconds before Dumbledore was able to break Harry's barriers, and then the images started rushing past his eyes, just as they had when Snape was teaching him.

Dumbledore released his hold on Harry and helped him off the ground. "That wasn't bad, Harry, but I want you to try something. You know how to produce a patronus, correct?" He waited for Harry to nod. "I want you to do the same thing here. When I cast the spell, I want you to focus on a single memory, a very happy one, and I want you to try and project that feeling around you. It will serve as a barrier-you will force whoever is cursing you to see that one memory. Try again. Ready? One, two, three."

He cast the spell before Harry had sufficient time to think of a memory to use, and Harry rushed around in his brain trying to come up with one. And then he remembered the time during his third year when he thought he was going to live with Sirius; he remembered how happy he had been, and he focused on that emotion. He soon forgot that someone was trying to enter his mind, and he opened his eyes (he had closed them in concentration) to see Dumbledore smiling at him.

"That will do for now Harry. I will be giving you lessons regularly from now on, every time I get the chance." There was a tone of finality in his voice that prompted Harry to leave, but he still had questions that he wanted answered.

Dumbleore answered his thoughts. "There will be time for questions, later, Harry. I must ask you to wait a little longer. Your questions will be answered in due time." He left before Harry could utter another syllable.

A/N: What did y'all think? I know, pretty standard, nothing original, but I promis it will get better. ; )


	2. The Happy Reminder

**Disclaimer:** Forgot to put one up last chapter (whoops), but here it is now. I don't own HP (darn it!). If I did...oh the things I could do. ; )

Chapter 2-The Happy Reminder

Harry stood in the room disbelievingly. What just happened? Dumbledore just gave him the hit-and-run routine, and Harry still didn't have a clue what was going on. _Well, at least I know that I'll be taking Occlumency lessons. That's a start._

Harry walked out of the room and grabbed his trunk. He started to make his way up the stairs to the room he and Ron had shared last time he had stayed at 12 Grimmuald Place, stopping grudgingly every third or fourth step to complain to himself about how heavy his trunk was. Then he remembered the waiver that allowed him to do magic and smacked himself in the face. "Stupid git," he said to himself. "_Locomotor trunk_," he said, remembering the spell Tonks had used the previous summer to levitate his trunk. He reached his room and threw the entirety of his weight onto the bed.

Harry's first night back in Grimmuald Place proved to be exhausting. It was on this night that the dream started. He would be picked up by Sirius, and when he returned from his room after gathering his things, he would be standing in that room in the department of mysteries. Every night for a week he had to endure the suffering.

After having the dream for the seventh night in a row, Harry climbed out of bed and started to descend the stairs to get some breakfast, but he was suddenly knocked backwards by a small, moving lump of clothing.

"Harry Potter, sir! I is so excited to see you, sir! I is just coming one week ago, on Professor Dumbledore's orders, but I is never expecting to see Harry Potter!" The lump of clothing was now speaking in a shrill, squeaky voice that forcefully reminded Harry of...

"Dobby? What are you doing here?"

The house-elf was now bedecked in a greater assortment of clothing than Harry had ever seen him in. Along with his usual tea cozy hat and mis-matching socks, Dobby was wearing what looked like several sweaters in multiple colors, some of which looked home-sewn, a pair of spandex shorts (which were long enough to be pants on the elf and tucked underneath the socks), and what looked suspiciously like a blue and purple tu-tu. The elf beamed up at Harry, tears coming to his tennis-ball eyes.

"Dumbledore says there is a new place for me to work, and Dobby tells him that I is doing anything for Master Dumbledore. He says that he needs an elf he can trust with secrets, and I is telling him that I is a very trustworthy elf." He paused, and his smile became painful to look at. "Dobby is so honored to be here with Harry Potter!!"

"Right. So you are working here, now, instead of at Hogwarts?" At this, the elf nodded vigorously. "Well, that's brilliant, Dobby." Harry smiled at the elf encouragingly.

"The headmaster is telling Dobby to wake Mr. Harry Potter. He is saying that I is needing to move Harry Potter to a new room."

"What room would that be, Dobby?" he asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Master Dumbledore is telling me to put you in the master bedroom, Mr. Harry Potter, sir. He is telling Dobby not to take no for an answer, sir." Harry saw no point in arguing, so he followed Dobby down the stairs after gathering his things from the old room.

Dobby led him down a discreet passageway under the staircase that Harry hadn't noticed the last time he was at the house. The hallway was unusually calming, with solid wood walls and warm torch-light. It was completely different from the rest of the house, and Harry wondered why it didn't have the same cold, dark style that prevailed throughout the house. After about a hundred meters or so, Dobby stopped at an apparently blank stretch of wall that was only discernable from all the rest by the doorknob that jutted out of it. Dobby was too short to reach the handle, so Harry reached for it. Before he could turn the knob and open it, though, the door slid sideways to the right, into the rest of the wall.

Harry stepped into the room and what he saw made him forget to breathe. Dobby set his trunk down next to the door and said, "Dobby will leave you, now, master." Harry was too awestruck to reply, so he merely nodded his head and blinked his goodbye.

The room was as big as the Gryffindor common room. The huge four-poster bed was in the middle of the left-hand wall, and directly across from it was a magnificent fire-place, where there was a comfy-looking chair and a two person sofa, both covered in dark brown suede leather, placed just in front. There were two dark wooden night stands, one on each side of the bed, and on one was an elegant lamp. There was a pair of closet doors on the left wall as well, and another door on the right side of the fireplace. The walls were painted an attractive crimson-red, and there were rugs placed on the glimmering hard-wood floors of the same color in front of the fireplace and under the bed.

Harry took another step inside, and the fireplace gently erupted into a warm, orange fire, inviting him to plop himself onto the oh-so-tempting sofa. He walked over to the couch and threw himself onto it. _This I could get used to._ He opened his eyes, and gasped. There, above the fireplace, was a portrait of a great black dog with piercingly yellow eyes and shaggy fur. It was beautiful; depressing and at the same time comforting. Harry closed his eyes and remembered the first time he saw his godfather in his Animagus form. It was the night he ran away from Privet Drive, and the dog Sirius had scared Harry. He chuckled. The painting would always be there as a happy reminder of his beloved godfather, watching over him in his sleep.

A/N: Sorry this one's so short. Would have written more, but it just seemed to be a great place to end a chapter.


	3. Time for Questions

Chapter 3-Time for Questions

**DISCLAIMER: **_Blahst!!_ Remind me again why I couldn't have been born JK Rowling...ah, well, that's how the story goes...just not my story...hehe. Oh, and I got the whole time thingy from a movie...Clockstoppers, I think it was called. WHY couldn't these be MY original ideas, WHY WHY WHY???? You'll see what I mean about the time in due time. (haha-that's punny D)

Harry awoke next morning unwilling to open his eyes. It was all a dream. There was no way it could be real. When Harry opened his eyes, he would still be at Privet Drive, moping in his bed, as usual. He had not been taken to Grimmuald Place, he did not have his own luxury suite, and he definitely did not see a portrait of his godfather the previous night. It had all been such a wonderful dream. _Wait a second, _Harry thought, _I don't have good dreams. _He quickly popped his eyes open to find himself laying comfortably on the sofa in his bedroom. He smiled to himself contentedly, wondering at his momentary happiness.

A sudden knock on the door broke him out of his reverie. It was Dobby, looking slightly unsure.

"Dobby is sorry to be disturbing you sir. The headmaster is sending Dobby to wake Harry Potter. He is wishing to see you, sir."

"Thanks, Dobby."

Harry literally rolled off the couch and onto the floor. _I hate getting up._ He walked over to the door, looking for his trunk, but saw that it was no longer there. _Of course. Probably already put away. _He walked over to the closet doors and opened them. His belongings barely took up a quarter of the space. He got dressed hurriedly and, before taking his leave, glanced once more at the moving painting above the fireplace.

Dumbledore was waiting for Harry in the kitchen. As Harry stepped out from under the staircase, he took note of how quiet and uncrowded the so-called Order Headquarters was. He made his way over to the closed kitchen door and reached out to open it only to find that it had done so of its own accord.

"Harry." Dumbledore was looking at him with that characteristic searching gaze. Once again Harry got the feeling that Dumbledore knew what he was thinking.

Harry voiced his thoughts before Dumbledore had a chance to answer them without Harry asking. "Why isn't anyone here? Isn't this supposed to be Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix?"

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." There was mild surprise in his voice. "As it is, you are now the sole beneficiary to the Black family fortune. Anything that was theirs is yours now. The Order cannot use this house without your permission, even though you are underage."

"Right. Well, you didn't need to ask really. You already know my answer. Of course you can use it. What good would this place be otherwise?"

"Excellent, Harry, excellent. Now, I would like to sort out a regular time for your lessons."

"Lessons, sir?" And then Harry remembered. "Oh!-occlumency, you mean?"

"Right in one. I was thinking that three times a week should suffice. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays would be most convenient. What do you say?"

"Sounds great to me. But won't it cut into _your _time?"

"Ah, yes indeed it would, if not for one thing that, even I must say, is quite ingenious." He took out his wand and aimed it at his watch. After a complicated little wave, and a whispered incantation, he showed Harry his watch.

"It's stopped," Harry said after about 10 seconds.

"Not quite. You see, we've been made to go quite a bit faster than everything else in the room, so the watch appears to have quit working. Actually, we're going too fast to notice its motion." Harry glanced back at the watch and studied it more closely. He could just barely see the slightest bit of movement in the second hand.

"So...We work for an hour, our time, and everything else goes through...53 seconds?" Harry said this without thinking, as if it had just popped into his mind.

Dumbledore frowned. How did Harry know that? And such an obscure number? He thought it best not to point out to Harry how remarkable his pronouncement had been. Instead, he said. "Yes...that is the number I assigned. I am quite fond of that number, although I could never fathom why." He gave Harry a sly wink and grinned his 'I'm-a-crazy-batty-old-man-who-you-wouldn't-expect-to-joke-but-does' grin.

Harry shook himself out of his own thoughts. How had he known that? He quickly decided that his subconscious had heard Dumbledore mutter the number while casting the spell and dismissed it. He grinned back at the headmaster. Not the kind of person you'd expect a joke out of, but all the same. Dumbledore tapped his wand to his watch and they returned to normal speed.

"Hey professor, do you think you could teach me that little trick?"

"I'm afraid that I can't _teach _it to you, Harry," he said, putting particular emphasis on the word _teach_. "I'm sure you could find it quite useful, but that spell is heavily regulated by the ministry. They seem to think that it could be dangerous in the wrong hands." He gave Harry another one of his winks. "Is there anything else you would like to know, Harry?"

"Actually, there are quite a few questions I would like to ask."

"Ask away. You realize, of course, that not all of them are certain to be answered."

Harry nodded. "First of all, what was last night all about? Why did you give me the run-through?"

"Well, Harry, that answer is quite simple. I had a busy schedule last night, but I still wanted to check on you to make sure you made it here alright."

"How is the Order doing? And what about the new Minister? You said that it was Amelia Bones...then what happened to Fudge-and-"

Dumbledore cut him off before he could ask any more. "Slow down Harry! The Order is doing just fine. We now have the Ministry with us, so things have gotten a lot smoother. We don't have to be lurking around, keeping secrets from the Ministry anymore. As for the new Minister-she was one of the top witches in the Wizengamot, as I'm sure you remember from your disciplinary hearing from last year. She is a very fair person, so she is a very suitable minister. Cornelius Fudge was taken out of office for his actions for the past year and had to pay a heavy fine."

Harry soaked all this information in like a sponge. He had a moment's hesitation before asking this next question: "Professor, why didn't you destroy all other sources of the prophecy? I mean, you know it, and you can't lose your memory of it. Why keep any other copies?"

Dumbledore thought for a minute before answering carefully."Harry-you remember the circumstances the prophecy in the ministry was under? Only you or Voldemort could remove it from its place in the Department of Mysteries. This copy is much different-" he paused, seeming to be dangerously close to revealing the new source. "Harry, I can't tell you why we haven't destroyed it without telling you what it is. I'm sorry, but I can't completely answer your question."

Harry frowned slightly. He was thinking. _What type of source could this be that it can't be destroyed?_ An idea struck him. "Professor, what about professor Trelawney? If she was the one who gave the prophecy, wouldn't she be a source? In that case, she would be _the _source."

"Quite right Harry, but we have taken measures to be sure that there is now way she could possibly reveal the full contents, even if she were forced.

"But can't Voldemort break through memory charms?" He had assumed that his headmaster had simply wiped her memory with _obliviate_. He started again, but paused mid-sentence. "Remember Bertha Jorkins--what about your pensieve?" _Where had _that _come from?_ The thought of the pensieve had surfaced itself in his mind.

"I don't understand what you are saying, Harry. I told you last night that Voldemort would not be able to get my pensieve, and so the record I have in my memory is safe."

"No, no. That's not what I meant. Couldn't you put Trelawney's memory of that night into the pensieve? That way there would be one less source wandering around."

Dumbledore gave him an appraising look. How was harry coming up with these things? "Actually, we've done just that. There is just that one other source, and Voldemort has found it." He looked down at his watch. "Oh, my. Harry, I'm afraid I must get going, now. I've spent too much time here already. I'll see you next Tuesday, then." He got up to leave, and Harry jumped out of his seat and blocked the door politely.

"Just one more question."

"Make it quick, Harry."

"Was my room always there?"

"Ah, yes, I was wondering why you hadn't asked about that yet. All I know is that the room was a place Sirius created for himself. He couldn't stand the rest of the house, so he made his own space. Really quite incredible, don't you think?"

Harry nodded and turned to leave the room. He walked out, but did a quick double take before heading off to his room. _Wasn't the door closed when I stopped Dumbledore?_ He didn't remember opening the door before exiting the room. He nodded it off. Thinking he would write to Ron and Hermione, he made his way down to his new room.

**A/N:** So, what do ya think? Things are starting to pick up a little, yes? Please, please, please REVIEW!!


	4. Long Awaited Arrivals

**Disclaimer: **not mine, never was, never will be. I only own the plot, and a few new creations of my own. :'(

Chapter 4-Long Awaited Arrivals

Harry made his way down the hallway to his room in a slow, thoughtful manner. When he got there, he opened his trunk and pulled out two pieces of parchment, some ink, and a quill. He settled himself down at the desk that was situated on the back wall and wrote two identical letters:

_How's your summer going? Mine's been lousy for a while, but for once, things have started to pick up. _

_I'm at headquarters now, I just arrived last night. I'm going to be getting more lessons, but with Dumbledore. There is a lot to tell you, but seeing as it isn't safe to owl confidential information, you'll just have to wait-sorry. _

_I was hoping that you could come to headquarters soon and stay for the rest of the summer. It is actually quite dull here, just being me and Dobby, with the occasional visit from Dumbledore. _

_Owl me back with your answer to my invitation._

_Hoping to see you soon._

_Harry_

Addressing one each to Ron and Hermione, he got up to go find Hedwig. He hadn't noticed where Dobby had put her the night before, and he was about to go find the house-elf to ask, when the owl flew into the room and landed on Harry's shoulder.

Harry smiled at her and offered his arm so he could set her on the desk. "I need you to take these letters to Ron and Hermione, okay Hedwig?" The snowy owl hooted a soft reply before taking off towards the door.

Harry went over to his bed and threw himself upon it. Having never before even touched the bed, Harry was now in a sleepy heaven. The mattress must have been magical, because it was incredibly soft; it felt like he was floating on air. He heaved a heavy sigh and pondered his summer so far. A short and miserable two weeks with the Dursleys, followed by an abrupt kidnapping by the Order, a new inheritance, and hoards of new information. _I could definitely use a pensieve now, _Harry thought, moments before falling into a deep, dreamless slumber.

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The summer was now already halfway through, and still Harry was alone at his house. Well, alone isn't really the right word, because there were always at least 5 Order members there at any one time. However, the people that Harry really wanted to see had yet to arrive. He received replies from both Ron and Hermione after sending his letters, and both of them had sounded extremely relieved by his more detailed note (previously, his usual letter read, "I'm fine. Harry."). Unfortunately, neither could come immediately. Ron's mum was reluctant to let him go anywhere without her, and Hermione and her parents were vacationing in Australia. So, after sorting out a few details, Harry arranged for his friends (and the entire Weasley family) to be at headquarters two days before his birthday.

Meanwhile, Harry had been taking occlumency from Dumbledore. Each time, Dumbledore would do his little trick and 'stop time,' and teacher and pupil would commence in lessons for one or two hours. Harry was slowly improving. He was frustrated, though, because he had been working extremely hard on the method Dumbledore had described during their first meeting the night Harry arrived at Number 12, and was making little progress.

"Patience is a virtue, Harry, patience is a virtue," Dumbledore would say whenever Harry got angry.

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Two days before Harry's birthday, the aspiring boy-who-still-wants-to-live was to be found pacing the entrance hall to 12 Grimmuald Place. It was 12:21, according to his watch, and his friends were supposed to arrive at 12:30.

"Harry, if you keep at it the way you're doing, you'll have a nice little trench in the middle of the hall. Relax." It was Remus Lupin. He had recently taken to squatting at Harry's place and headquarters and the two had become quite chummy. The two could relate on many levels, and being able to talk to each other about Sirius had lessened the stressful emotions both were feeling. Harry showed Remus the portrait in his room, and when his ex-professor saw it, he smiled with twinkling eyes. It seemed to bring closure to the man the same way it brought closure for Harry.

"I know, Remus. I'm just so-well, excited, I guess. It's been a long and boring couple of weeks. Nothing against you or anything, but I just miss my friends." He halted his pacing and took a seat in the chair Remus had conjured next to his own.

Before he could get comfortable, however, the doorbell rang, and Harry was out of the chair faster than you can say, "I am way too obsessed with Harry Potter and I have too much time on my hands so I am writing this story for the heck of it."

A huge grin spread across our hero's face when he greeted his friends.

"Ron, Hermione, everybody-it's so great to see you." Everybody but Hermione grinned right back at him. The female in question sprinted up to her best friend and threw her arms around him, crying tears of joy.

"Oh, Harry! I was so worried about you! We all were. I was so scared when your letters were so short, and then when I got the one from you a couple of weeks ago I was so relieved! I was afraid that what happened in the Ministry of Magic would have devastated you to the point of destruction! I'm so happy you're alright!"

"Her-mion-ee! I can't breath!"

"Oh! Right, sorry Harry." Hermione let him go, teary-eyed and red in the face, yet still smiling.

Harry turned to look at the rest of the group, who were looking slightly worried.

"I'm okay guys, really. I found some closure when I came to this house. Don't worry about me."

The group looked at him doubtfully when he mentioned closure, but Mrs. Weasley interrupted the awkward moment. "Thank goodness you're alright, Harry! Like Hermione said, we were all worried, especially with you living with those _Dursleys_." She said his relatives' name with a look of disgust on her face. After pulling him into a tight hug, she let him go and walked further into the house with her things.

"Well, I'm thinking maybe you guys want to get situated," Harry asked, and the others nodded their agreement. Harry followed Ron up to the room the two used to share, and Hermione and Ginny made their way to the room they shared.

When the boys arrived at the room, Ron put his stuff by his bed and asked, "Where's all your stuff, mate? I thought we shared a room."

"We used to share a room. I want to wait for Hermione and show you guys my new room."

Ron gave him an appraising look with one eyebrow up and shrugged his shoulders. Two seconds later, Hermione entered the room and asked the same question Ron had.

"Follow me, and you'll find out. You're welcome to come, too Ginny," he said, noticing Ginny entering the room as well.

Harry led the three others down the stairs and into the passage leading to his bedroom. Upon arriving, Ron involuntarily set his face into a bewildered expression, Hermione was (for the first time ever) speechless, and Ginny's eyes doubled in diameter.

"It's not much-but it's home."

"NOT MUCH!?! This is bloody brilliant, Harry! Where did this room come from? It wasn't here the last time we came!" Ron was now looking at Harry like he was crazy.

"All I know is that Sirius made it himself. But you guys haven't even seen the best part of the room." He led them to the mantelpiece and watched their reactions as they gazed upon the portrait of his godfather's animagus. "This is the closure I mentioned before. Somehow, Sirius' anumagus was comforting."

Hermione took her gaze away from the portrait to look at Harry. "His animagus, Harry? That doesn't look like a great black dog to me."

Harry frowned and turned his head to look at the painting. Sure enough, there was no longer a shaggy black dog staring intensely back at him, but a smiling, healthy-looking Sirius was beaming at him from the portrait. Harry was speechless. The portrait took this opportunity to explain a few things.

"Hello, Harry. I've been trying to get your attention for quite sometime, now, but you always seem a little preoccupied. This was entirely true, as Harry had been brooding over the prophecy quite a bit in the absence of anything better to do. "It's nice to finally speak with you." It was acting just like Sirius, right down to the bark-like laugh it emmitted after its pronunciation.

Harry stared for a couple more seconds before snapping back to his senses. "Sirius? But-you were a dog before, and pictures can't-can they?"

"Well, this portrait was specially made. It allows me to disguise myself as the black dog whenever I want. So-on to business-how is everything going? I know this summer must have been lousy without me, but tell me how it went anyways."

Harry was so excited to have a working model of his godfather. They conversed the entire day, talking about the summer, the Order, the best kind of pranks to play, and anything else that seemed good to talk about. It was the best thing that had happened to Harry in quite a while, and when it was time for bed, the group of teenagers were sufficiently tired.

As Harry climbed into bed, he muttered a slurred, "Goonigh, Sirius," to his godfather and thought to himself, _This is going to be the greatest summer yet._

**A/N:** I know, I know, a korny and stupid ending. I was getting a little tired of this chapter. But, don't worry, the things yet to come are going to be great. Oh yeah, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!


	5. Sixteen

**Disclaimer: **ton enim. hsiw ti erew. lla llew.

Chapter 5-Sixteen

Most wizards come into their powers. Usually they have the ability to tap into a certain, small portion at a young age and begin to control that magic at the age of 11. Afterwards, some gradually gain access to the rest of their magical potential and learn to control it quite easily. Still others "jump" into them and suddenly have access to much more power than previously assumed; in this case it is much more difficult to harness and control the power. Normally the full magical potential is reached by the age of 16, sometimes earlier, but not later. No matter what, witches and wizards are born with a certain amout of magic and they never gain or lose it. There isn't usually room to harness any more power than a witch or wizard is born with. A magical person simply grows into his or her powers and they only find access to it and learn to control it to make it more effective

Harry Potter is not most wizards.

Harry was born with a greater than average amount of power to begin with, and he was accidentally given more power when Voldemort tried to kill him on that fateful Halloween. As of the night before his sixteenth birthday, he was one of the most powerful wizards at his school. That was about to change.

The infamous boy-who-lived was sleeping peacefully the night before his sixteenth birthday. Having spent most of the day either talking to Sirius or planning for his upcoming birthday party, he was fairly worn out by the end of the day. He had no idea what was to happen that night.

At precisely 12:00 midnight, during the first seconds of July 31, Harry was forced awake when he took his very first breath of his sixteenth year of life.

He was experiencing an incredible feeling, something nearly indescribable. He slowly breathed in, feeling as though an empty space inside of him was being filled. He arched his back and wriggled in his bed-the feeling was at once painful and wonderful. His second breath brought a new sensation; a shock of some sort of current was sent through his body, beginning in the center of is being and stretching to the tips of his fingers and toes. One last breath, and he felt complete, as if this feeling was what his body and soul were waiting for his entire life. Letting out his third breath, Harry Potter promptly rolled to his side and immediately fell asleep, simultaneously forgetting about his first experience as a 16-year-old.

**A/N:** short, yet extremely important. You'll find out what it was soon enough.


	6. A Big Party

**Disclaimer: **I'm too bloody tired to think of something witty to say, so here's the bloody friggin' truth: I don't bloody own friggin' Harry Potter, or anything remotely friggin' close to it.

**Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince due July 16th, 2005!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(exclamation to the infinity power)!!!!!!!!!!!**

Chapter 6-A Big Party

Harry woke up on the morning of his sixteenth birthday feeling incredibly refreshed. He sat up in his bed and stretched, saying, "Good morning, Sirius," through a fully unnecessary yawn. The painting replied, "Good morning yourself, and happy birthday," causing a wide grin to make its way to Harry's face. Harry then jumped out of his bed energetically and dressed himself, then left the room feeling uncharacteristically happy.

He went into the kitchen to see a small crowd gathered, including Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione.

"I suppose Ron is still sleeping in?"

"Of course he is, the lazy dunderhead. I don't know how he can sleep so long," Hermione said distractedly. She was reading the _Daily Prophet_, and apparently there was nothing of great interest, because her eyes were not bulging out of her head and she was not hiding the paper from Harry, as she had the previous two years whenever the newspaper decided to insult or degrade Harry.

"So, what's for breakfast on this fine July 31?" Harry made sure to emphasize the date, seeing as none of the ladies seemed to remember the significance of the day.

Mrs. Weasley answered him. "Oh, just a bit of French toast and orange juice, Harry dear."

Harry just stood there looking puzzled. Didn't these very same people just yesterday help him plan the greatest party imaginable? Why was it that they all seemed to have forgotten his birthday so readily?

Ginny took this opportunity to say what every person in the room wanted to. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!!!" She looked up to see what Harry's reaction would be, but she froze before she could comprehend the look of pure joy that spread across Harry's face. Coincidently, Harry's face took this opportunity to morph his face into a puzzled expression. Everyone in the room was now looking at him in complete shock.

It was at this time that Ron decided to make his grand and groggy entrance. Rubbing his eyes and noisily moistening his lips, he muttered, "Mornin' 'Arry. Mornin' all." He quit rubbing his eyes and looked up at Harry. _Since when do I look up at Harry?_ With this, his face took on the same shocked expression that the girls' had.

"What is wrong with you guys-why are you looking at me as if--" Harry paused as comprehension dawned on him. "Ron, when did you find the time to shrink?"

"I didn't shrink, mate. You grew. Oh, and by the way, happy birthday." Ron's voice brought the girls out of their trances.

Hermione and Mrs. Weasley finally got out their Happy Birthdays, and Ginny shook her head violently before getting up and walking over to Harry.

"Well..." she took a breath through her teeth. "I guess, well...all I can say is happy birthday. That, and I guess I just want to ask how you managed to grow a foot overnight."

Harry had had enough. He walked over to the double-door mirror that was situated just inside the door and surveyed himself. He fought hard to suppress the gasp that wanted to escape his lips, but failed dismally. He was staring at a 6 foot, 4 inch version of himself. If it weren't for his face, Harry would not have believed the person staring out of the mirror to be himself. Every muscle in his body was well defined; his broad shoulders accentuated his buff arms, and his rock-hard abs were clearly visible through his well-fitting shirt (the shirt was a feat in itself, as it used to be one of Dudley's. Harry hadn't noticed before, but the formerly-overly-large tee-shirt now fit splendidly).

He walked back to his room, laid down on his bed, and closed his eyes. _This is all a very strange dream. When I open my eyes, I will be my regular, scrawny self, and my friends will not gawk at my newly muscular body. _Harry opened his eyes slowly, first the right, and after peeking around a little, the left. He sat up and looked at himself again. _Nope. Still a foot taller than yesterday. I guess it's not such a bad thing. _So Harry stood and left his room, heading back to the kitchen.

What he found there made him think of a bunch of Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil replicas, because everyone who was now in the kitchen was now conversing in low, excited voices about Harry's new appearance. He cleared his throat loudly, causing the noise to die down completely.

"Well, seeing as this is not a dream, and I really do look like this, can we please get on to our regularly scheduled day?"

Hermione sniggered at his comment, and when Ron asked her why she was laughing, she replied simply, "Muggle joke."

After a tense moment of silence, everybody in the room broke into smiles and went over to Harry to shake his hand and wish him a happy birthday. Now there were Remus, Tonks, Mundungus Fletcher, and the Weasley twins included, and every single one of them took the chance to comment on Harry's appearance.

"So, Harry, are you gonna let us in on this little prank of yours?" said Fred or George.

"Yeah, 'cos we'll gladly take anything you did to get yourself so buff overnight." said George or Fred.

"Hey maybe we could sell it!"

"Are you gonna tells, or what?"

"Do we have to force it out of you?"

"No, Fred, we can't do that now, look of the size of this bloke-"

"I was only trying to get him to talk, George-"

"Oi! Gred and Forge! While you two are having a right nice little conversation to no one, I've been standing here trying to tell you that I have no idea!" Seeing the suspicious looks on the twins' faces he added, "Honestly! Ask anyone, when would I have had the time to do it? I was too busy all day yesterday! Ask Sirius if you want!"

Those addressed as Gred and Forge looked at each other quizzically.

"You want to tell 'im Fred?"

"No, no, you go ahead George."

"Alright, alright," and with all seriousness he continued, "Harry, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Sirius-well, he died. He's dead Harry."

"NO KIDDING?!" Harry's voice seeped with sarcasm. "I meant that you can ask Sirius' portrait. It's hanging in my bedroom, hence, he would be able to tell you whether I did anything while I was alone in there."

A look that said, "Oh," in a sing-song voice came to the twins' faces now, and with that, they accepted the fact that Harry didn't purposely alter himself. After that, Remus walked up to him to get his say in.

"Happy birthday, Harry. You know, I've never heard of anything like this happening. A one-foot growth spurt in one night. I'll have to ask around to see whether anything like this has happened before."

"I would appreciate that, Remus, seeing as I would rather like to know that myself. I would really like to know how this happened." A sudden thought popped into his head, and he couldn't help wondering whether his overnight growth spurt could have anything to do with 'the power the Dark Lord knows not' that the prophecy mentioned.

Tonks approached him next. "Wotcher, Harry. Happy birthday."

"Thanks."

"I was thinking. Maybe you could be a metamorphmagus. It would make sense, you know. If you really wanted to change your appearance, then it would just happen if you were. All you would have had to do is concentrate. You want to test yourself to see if you are one?"

Harry nodded and said, "Why not? It's worth a try if it'll explain why I'm suddenly so different."

"Right. So, all you gotta do is concentrate really hard on what you want to change and how you want it to look. Start with something simple, like hair or eye color. Go ahead, try something."

Harry frowned in concentration. He imagined himself with no scar, with just a plain forehead free from lightning bolts. After about 30 seconds of this, he opened his eyes and looked at Tonks hopefully. She had an eager look on her face, but when Harry asked, "Well?"

"What were you trying to change?"

"My scar-is it still there?"

"Yep. Sorry, Harry, no luck, you're no metamorphmagus."

"Ah, well, I didn't really expect it anyways." Tonks went to sit down at the table, where there were heaping piles of French toast calling her name. Speaking of which, Harry thought he heard a particularly squeaky voice saying, "Eat me, Harry, eat me!" over and over again.

Harry made his way to the breakfast table and started piling on the toast. "Not hungry at all, are you, mate," Ron asked, noticing that for the first time in history someone had more food on his plate than he did. Harry just smiled in return.

"You know, Harry," Hermione had finally come to her senses, "I think I'll need to do some research on this. I'm sure it's happened before, there has to be some logical explanation for it. What do you say to helping me when we get back to school?"

"That'd be great Hermione, as long as we have time. I would really like to know what's happened to me." After this statement, Harry suddenly dropped the piece of French toast he was about to shove in his mouth and sprinted out of the room with incredible speed. Ron and Hermione gave each other a sidelong glance before running after him.

"Harry, wait up! What are you doing, is everything okay?" Hermione looked worried.

"Yeah, everything's great, I just realized something-Sirius' portrait! It overlooks my bed, maybe he could tell me something!" They reached his room and walked over to the fireplace. "Hello Sirius."

"Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione. How are things?"

"Great. Only, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm about a foot taller than I was 24 hours ago."

"Ah, yes, that. I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out. I noticed it when you woke up this morning." Sirius was close to laughing now.

"Well, I was just wondering, did you happen to see anything happen to me last night that could explain this?" Harry was now very close to the painting, looking very excited and hopeful.

"I'm afraid I didn't Harry. You see, I was not in this frame last night. I had other business to attend to." Harry's face fell. He was so sure Sirius would have seen something. "Sorry, Harry."

"No, it's alright. I guess I'll just have to figure it out another way." He and the other three trudged out of the room looking very disappointed.

OOO

The rest of the day brought a steady stream of Order members into headquarters, all of them dropping by to wish Harry a happy birthday. Despite the earlier disappointment, Harry managed to have one of the best days of his life. He found himself counting down the hours until his party began.

He went into the party-room 10 minutes before the party was scheduled to be started and admired his handiwork. The former bare office was now a splendid gathering place. It had plenty of comfortable-looking furniture, including dozens of armchairs, a couple of huge sofas, and even a daybed in the corner, all of which was bedecked in the warm colors of fall: red, golden yellow, and a soft tan. There was a bird's-eye maple table in the center that was a six-foot square, and the walls were covered n shelves made of the same wood. The shelves were covered in an assortment of things, from books to magical gadgets to quidditch memorabilia.

Mrs. Weasley then came in, carrying a tray of food. Harry offered to help, and she said, "Yes, yes, just go into the kitchen and grab something." She began to bustle about the room, setting the food on the table in a way that made it look inviting.

Harry went back to the kitchen, but was sidetracked due to the doorbell choosing to ring. He went over to it and answered, and as soon as he opened the door he was greeted by a large group of poeple, all of which were carrying gifts. Many of them shouted a jubilant, "Harry!" and then proceeded to pile their gifts on top of him. Wobbling under the weight of it all, he was happy to find that his two best friends were standing by, however annoying their laughing was.

"Oh, shut up, you two, and help me get this stuff into the party room."

When everybody had finally arrived and was in the party room, Dumbledore cleared his throat, intending to make an announcement. "Good evening, all! Tonight we celebrate the sixteenth year of this fine young man we call Harry Potter!" There was applause and cheering after this. "But I do not think we came to stand around and talk about it. Help yourselves to the buffet!" More cheering, and then a great rush to the table in the center of the room.

After stuffing themselves silly, people began to get restless, so Molly Weasley said above the din, "I believe it's time for gifts! Come along, Harry, over here." She led him to where the pile of presents was sitting. After a ridiculous chorus of the "Happy Birthday" song, a very red and embarrassed Harry started to make the pile of unwrapped presents smaller.

The first gift was from Hermione; Harry was expecting a book of some sorts, but she surprised him with what turned out to be a small, realistic model of a phoenix. "Cool, Hermione, thanks!" After that, he receive a quidditch play book from Ron, a huge box of joke candy and items from the twins and Ginny, and a good deal of regular sweets from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Lupin and Tonks put their minds together and bought him an incredible encyclopedia of Defense books, and Moody got him a wand holster.

It was Dumbledore's gift that puzzled him most, though. Harry prized the box open slowly, and what he found a very interesting watch. It had 12 hands and what looked like a bunch of planets revolving around in it. He looked up at Dumbledore, who gave him a wink and proceeded to his usual eye-twinkling business. _It must have something to do with that time spell he uses._ The thought conjured itself up in Harry's mind, and he somehow knew it was right. However, he did not dwell on it and continued opening the rest of his gifts, which included quite a bit of Zonko's products and sweets.

As Harry walked back down to his bedroom after the party feeling exhausted, he thought to himself, _All in all, not a bad day. An impressive growth spurt plus a brilliant birthday party. _He threw himself onto his bed and fell asleep instantly.

**A/N:** I know, lousy ending, I'm bad at ending chapters. Well, on with the thanks!!

**GringottsVault711:** Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. You're story Year Six was my first favorite and it flatters me that you like my story.

**loonygrl90:** thanks for the tip, it was greatly appreciated.

**Brook Monroe, funnyloon00, Laura Lovegood, and HulaHomer: **thanks for reading and reviewing, you don't know how much it means to me that I have readers.

Well, that's it so far! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you!


	7. Beautiful Flight

**Disclaimer:** I lay unclaim to any and all things related to Harry Potter, and I reserve the unright to sue any of you who copy any of un-my creations.

That being unsaid, on with the story!!

**A/N:** before I begin, I would just like to ask a little favor. If you hadn't noticed, I currently have a _hem hem_ 'lack of a good title.' If anyone has _any_ ideas for a title, say so in a review. I know, there's not much story to go on, but there ya go. I think it would get more readers if I had a good title. Or you could just say whether the current title is what got your attention. Well, thanks anyways.

NOW on with the story!

Chapter 7-Beautiful Flight

_Tap tap tap._

"Go away, lemme sleep 5 more minutes."

_Tap tap tap._

"Alright, I'm up." Harry opened his eyes and was about to roll over in bed, but he wasn't in bed. He was aready standing in the hallway of 12 Grimmuald place. Outside the window he was next to there was an interesting-looking bird. It was covered with what appeared to be white plumage, but when Harry opened the window to let it in, the feathers glistened like pearls. The bird was just bigger than a parrot in size, but its beauty was stunning. Along with the plumage, the creature had a black beak with a grainy shine to it, like that of raw lead. Harry looked into the eyes of this obviously magical animal and was surprised to be looking at eyes the exact emerald green of his own. _You're a beauvol. _The bird gave the tiniest of nods. When Harry finally managed to tear his eyes away from the beauty of the bird, he realized that it had a note attatched to its leg. He hastily removed it and read:

_Harry_

_This bird was destined to be yours. It was born the day you became Voldemort's downfall. Its name is Avii (pronounced a-vee). _

_Enjoy, and happy birthday._

_PS-sorry your gift is late._

Harry finished reading the letter, and after getting over the surprise of seeing Voldemort's name in writing, he turned it over, looking for some sort of signature, but he couldn't find one. Deciding he would have to keep the bird for now, he reached out a hand and offered it to his new pet. It stepped onto his hand and climed up his arm to rest on his shoulder.

He made his way back to his room, wondering how the heck he got out of it in the first place. _I must have been sleep-walking._ He set Avii on the foot of his bed and sat down to observe it. _A beauvol, _Harry thought, taking out the letter. He scanned it once again and a sudden frown overtook his features. There was no mention of a beauvol anywhere on the parchment, and Harry was sure he had never heard of one before. Hagrid's taste in magical creatures meant that something this small and elegant did not make it into the classroom. He looked at the bird again. It was staring at him, and at once Harry felt the peircing glare of its eyes going right through him. Looking straight back at it, he watched as it turned from its pearly white to a shocking, emerald pearl color that nearly matched its eyes, and back to the white again.

Harry sensed what it saw. The bird had percieved Harry's aura, and changed colors accordingly. Apparrently, Harry's aura matched the glow of his eyes. There was something else Harry could sense, but he couldn't identify it exactly; he only knew there was something else the bird now knew about him. A thought jumped out at him, a thought from nowhere in particular: _A beauvol is among the rarest of birds, and its abilities include reading a magical person's aura and changing to the color of that aura. This is the reason...._The thought faded away.

The bird jumped...no...fluttered over to Harry's shoulder, and as Harry felt the bird's feet give his shoulders a tight squeeze, he also felt himself drift back off to sleep.

OOO

In the morning Harry awoke to yet another surprise. He was still holding the letter in his hand, and the bird had settled itself on the perch next to Hedwig. _Yet another dream come true. Sort of._ He had been so sure that the beauvol had been part of his dreams, just as he was sure the changes his body had made on his birthday were a dream, yet there was the bird, real as can be. He called to the bird.

"Come here Avii." It spread its wings and Harry was in awe at its beauty, yet again. The grace of its flight was like nothing he had ever seen before; it looked more like the wind was lifting the bird and carrying it to its destination. It landed on Harry's shoulder and gazed at him innocently. "I suppose we should get up and eat. You up for it Avii?" The bird shifted its weight and nodded.

Harry got up, and he walked towards the door, which slid open on its own accord. Harry was too accustomed with automatic muggle doors to notice anything. Add that to the fact that doors seemed to open for him all the time anyway, and Harry was easily able to dismiss it for being abnormal.

Upon entering the kitchen/dining room, Harry was greeted by Mrs. Weasely, Ginny, and Hermione. Once again, Ron was missing from the group. "Good morning, all. Look what came to me in the night."

Mrs. Weasley looked up from her cooking. "That's a magnificent bird, Harry, who gave it to you? And what kind is it?"

"Well, I don't know who sent it, the note that it came with wasn't signed. Actually, the note was rather-" He stopped, seeing the look on Hermione's face. "What's wrong with you, Hermione?"

"Harry, do you have any clue what kind of bird that is?" Her eyes were bulging out of her sockets, and she looked extremely frightened.

"Yeah, its a beauvol. Her name is Avii, but I don't see why you should be so-" He stopped again as a thought formed itself in his mind._ The beauvol is a very loyal bird, and each bird is destined for only one owner. Before that owner is found, the creature is quite formidable. It is violent with any human that attempts to touch it, and its primary method of violence is fire-skin, the ability to transfigure its own skin skin into a blanket of fire..._That was it.

"Harry, get that thing away from you! Do you know what it could do to you?" Hermione made to swat the bird off his shoulder, but Harry held out his hand to stop her. She froze in place.

"Hermione, I know what it could do. But the note it came with also said that Avii was destined for me. Here, look." He handed over the note, but when Hermione didn't make any motion to take it from him, he asked, "What's wrong? Don't you want to see it?"

"Eh-ahn-oooh!"

Somehow, Harry managed to interpret her meaning to "I can't move!" and took out his wand to take off the jinx.

"Harry, how did you do that?"

"Do what? I didn't do anything, did I?"

"Yes, yes you did, you froze me by just sticking up your hand!"

Harry looked around the room, now, remembering that there were two other people in there with him, both of whom looked very puzzled. "Did I do that?" All three ladies nodded their heads. "I guess I just lost control of my magic. It's happened before, you know. I blew up my aunt before third year without meaning to. That's probably what happened here."

Hermione looked skeptical, but let it go. It was one of those looks that said, "I don't believe you, so I'm going to look it up in a book and prove you wrong."

"Hey, Harry, where did you get the bird?" Ron had just joined the group in the kitchen.

"It delivered itself last night. Her name is Avii. She's a beauvol."

"Cool. I've never heard of a beauvol. It's very lovely, isn't it?" Harry nodded.

"I'm going to write to Dumbledore about this," Hermione said decisively.

"Don't bother. I'll just tell him when he comes to give me occlumency lessons.

"When have you had time for those," Ron asked, eyebrows raised.

"Only every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Honestly, Ron, how slow-oh," he paused as he realized how little he had told his friends thus far. "I haven't told you about this yet. I'll tell you after breakfast, though, I'm starving."

And so the trio plus Ginny ate quickly and made their way to Harry's room afterwards.

"So what's the deal with occlumency, Harry? I know you mentioned lessons in your letter, but I haven't seen you go anywhere long enough to actually have a lesson." Hermione, ever inquisitive, jumped straight to the questions.

"Well, you wouldn't have, would you? Dumbledore performs a little charm before every lesson. It has the effect of stopping time." Pause for effect. "What actually happens is that we start moving really fast. So it feels like we've been doing something for an hour, but we really only pass through about 53 seconds."

"Wicked! Hey, do you think he would teach us that trick, Harry? Think of what we could do..." He spaced out here, apparantly thinking of all the trouble he could get into if he were able to stop tim.

"Don't even think about it, Ron. I've already asked Dumbledore, and he said it was regulated by the ministry."

"And a good thing, too, or blockheads like this one could do-things-with that extra time." Ginny spoke up, noticing the look on her brother's face.

"I wouldn't do anything illegal!"

"I'm sure. Just the way you were staring I could tell the kind of things you would do." Ron opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it and just shrugged. "That's what I thought."

"So Harry, are you going to tell us more about this bird, or what?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, last night I must have been sleep-walkng, because I heard a tapping, and when I woke up, I was at the window in the hallway. Avii-"

"Avii? Is that its name?"

"Yes, Ron, where were you before breakfast?"

"Sleeping."

"Oh." He distinctively remembered telling Ron his bird's name, but overlooked it. "Well, Avii had a note with her. Here, I'll show you." Harry went for his pocket, but the note wasn't there. "Must've left it in the kitchen..._Accio Letter!_" Harry muttered, not even thinking about grabbing his wand. "Oh, wait, that won't work...where's my wand?" Just as he was pulling his wand out of its new holster, he heard a slight whizzing noise, and found that the letter was making its way towards him. He reached his hand out to catch it and unfolded it. "Here, you read it." Hermione gave him a questioning glance before taking the letter.

There was a silent 30 seconds while the others read.

"That's wierd. 'Destined to be yours.' That must mean..." Hermione faded off, getting lost in her own thoughts.

"Would you like to share with the rest of us?" Ron had an annoyed tone. "Honestly, Hermione, I hate it when you do that."

"Huh-? Oh! Well, I was just thinking. I've read about the beauvol before. There was a limited amount of information on them because they're so rare. All I can remember is that if anyone but their intended owner tried to touch them, the things go berserk and erupt in flames. A kind of defense mechanism. At least that's what the book said. Nobody really knows anything about them because there is only one owner per bird. And there have only been about four on record, ever."

"That's mostly right. Only, they don't erupt in flames as a defense mechanism. It's called fire-skin. They transfigure their skin into a sort of fire blanket. And it's more because they only want their true owners to touch them. Plus, they usually have the exact same eye color as their destined owner." _Where did that last bit come from? I didn't know that before, _Harry thought as he finished.

Hermione was looking at him as though she was just struck by lightning. "Is that right? How did you know that? But the book said..."

"We could always test it. Here, come try to touch her." He set Avii on the perch and looked up expectantly at Hermione.

"Alright..." As Hermione approached the bird and stretched her hand out, Avii began to smoke. With about two feet in between them, she burst into flames and stretched out her wings threateningly. Hermione brought her hand back with incredible speed, and Avii promptly quit burning and turned back to the beautiful white pearly glow she had before the threat. "It-it appears you would be right, Harry. But that must mean-"

"That I was destined to be this bird's owner," Harry finished for her. "If I told her it was okay, she would probably let you touch her, but I wanted to demonstrate." Hermione glowered at him. "What? Would you have believed me otherwise?"

"I guess not. Still, it's quite incredible. They're just so _rare_."

"If the book was wrong, how do you know so much about them, Harry," Ron asked.

"I don't know. This stuff just comes to me. Like before, when I just let her in the house, I suddenly knew that she was a beauvol. It's crazy. Oh, and there's something else that she can do as well. Go ahead, Avii, show them. Try Ron."

The bird turned to Ron and placed that piercing stare on him. "Just watch," Harry instructed. After a few seconds, the bird flashed a brilliant metallic red before turning back to its previous color. "Any idea what that was?" When no one answered, Harry continued, "She was reading your aura. Apparantly, yours is red."

"How do you know that's what it was doing?"

"Like I said before, I don't know. She did it to me last night, and the answer just came to me."

"What color did she change to, Harry?" Ginny spoke up.

"You know, curiousity killed the cat, Ginny." Seeing the aggravated look she gave him, he chuckled and said, "Only joking, don't take everything so seriously. Mine was green."

"Do it again, Harry, I want to see for myself."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Don't believe me, Hermione?"

"That's not it. I just want to see it again."

Harry nodded. He looked over to Avii and felt her gaze strengthen. After about a minute, she changed into a cool blue color.

"Hey! I thought you said it was green!"

"It was!" Harry was getting a tad aggravated, now. His attention was diverted from the others by Avii, who had turned another color-a deep, swirling red. Harry was awestruck. She was still looking at him when she turned, yet again, only this time to purple. Harry started to calm down, and the bird at last changed to the emerald green of last night. "What the-" ..._its abilities include reading a magical person's aura and changing to the color of that aura. This is the reason that it may only have an owner who's aura is ever-changing. _"Ever-changing aura? What's that?"

"Harry, what's going on?" Hermione sounded worried. "Are you sure your bird is okay?"

"Yes, _Avii_ is fine. It's just-do you know what an ever-changing aura is?

"Sounds self-explanatory. An aura that changes a lot. I've never read anything about them, though."

"I think I've had enough for today. I need some time alone, if you guys don't mind." The others agreed and left the room queitly.

**A/N: **Nice long chapter. Not my best work, but hey. REVIEW PLEASE!!! Tell me what you think about Avii. I made her up from scratch. For a full description of Avii check out my other fic, "Rare Beasts and where to find them." If I come up with any more magical creatures, I'll add to it, so it will be my archive for my creations. D


	8. More Questions

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill. Do I really have to say this again? JK is the genius behind HP, not me.

Chapter 8- More Questions

Harry had to wait nearly three days to ask Dumbledore all the questions that popped up since his birthday. As it were, this gave him plenty of time to stew over them. He practically had a list of questions memorized by the time for his lessons finally came.

Dumbledore arrived at around 6:00 and requested to see Harry, as usual. Ron and Hermione wished him a good couple of minutes, and Harry rushed out of the room.

"Hello, Harry. Are you ready to begin the lesson?" Dumbledore asked after performing the charm.

"Yes and no, sir. I have a few questions I want to ask, if you don't mind."

"Ask away."

Harry had a list of questions he was planning to ask, but when it came time to do the asking, he was overwhelmed. Trying to organize his thoughts, he asked the first question that popped into his head.

"Firstly, I was just wondering about that watch you gave me. Could you tell me how it works? Does it have anything to do with the charm you perform when we meet?"

"I can't tell you how it works, because it has _everything_ to do with the charm I perform."

"So is that how the Ministry regulates the usage of the charm? They decide who gets the watches?"

"Exactly, Harry. I had to tell them that I lost my old watch in order to get that one."

Harry was stunned. Dumbledore went out of his way, breaking a magical law, in order to get Harry his gift. He was almost speechless. Almost. He quickly moved on to the next question.

"Professor, could you tell me what an ever-changing aura is?"

Dumbledore waited a second before answering Harry, taking the time to fix him with the penetrating gaze that Harry knew him for. " Let me explain to you a few things about auras, firstly. Every witch and wizard has a core to their magic; the core is partly key to that aura. You see, the aura is basically a display of what kind of person the witch or wizard it is, and the extent of the power in that person. The aura has two factors-color and brightness. The color is what tells the personality, so to speak. The brightness is equal to the power; the more powerful the core, the brighter the aura." He said all of this slowly and deliberately, making sure that there were no gaps in his explanation. Harry was sitting in the chair Dumbledore conjured, taking in every bit of information as if his brain were some sort of spongy material. "Most auras never fluxuate, except to gain intensity as the witch or wizard gains power throughout schooling.

"There are exceptions, however. One wizard has been through changes that have heightened his power, experiments that make his most unique."

"Voldemort. But why is it unique?"

"Well, you would expect his aura to become brighter each time he gained power. This is not the case. Instead, his aura did quite the opposite. It got darker and darker, to the point where it became pitch black.

"I believe I still have not answered your question?" Harry nodded at him, straightening in the chair. "The ever-changing aura is the other exception. It is exactly what it sounds like: an aura that changes a lot. But the reason behind it is what makes it so unique. Essentially, it changes with the wizard's mood. Whatever the wizard with an ever-changing aura is feeling gets displayed through his aura."

"Gives new meaning to 'wearing your emotions on your sleeve.'"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Now, may I ask you a question? What is it that prompted you to inquire about such a thing? It is such a rarity that very few people bother to know about it."

Harry hesitated before answering. Ever since he found out how much his headmaster had been hiding from him he had been weary of telling him every detail of his life. He decided to ask a different question before answering. "Professor, do you know what a beauvol is?"

"I do. I believe that it is a type of bird that accompanies a witch or wizard with an ever-changing aura. Is it just coincidence that you are asking about both at the same time?"

Harry shook his head. It was no use keeping this secret, Dumbledore was bound to find out about Avii. "No, sir. Can I show you something? I think you'll have to take off the charm for a second." Dumbledore did so and waited. "Avii, could you come here?" His voice was just over a whisper, yet the beauvol was on his shoulder a few seconds later. Dumbledore replaced the charm and looked at Harry expectantly. "This is Avii. She's my beauvol."

If Dumbledore was surprised, he didn't show it. "When did you get her, Harry?"

"She came during the night on my birthday. She had a note," he ruffled through his pockets, "here."

The headmaster took it but did not read it. Instead, he was staring at Avii. "Go ahead," Harry told her. The bird returned Dumbledore's stare, and after a few minutes it turned into a brilliant, pure white color, its usual pearly luster replaced by a blinding light.

"What did she just do?"

Harry was a little taken aback when Dumbledore asked this; he was not accustomed to explaining things to his headmaster. "She read your aura and changed to its color."

Dumbledore nodded. "Do you mind if she did it to you now?" he asked.

Harry took Avii off his shoulder and placed her on the table. They had a temporary staring contest before the bird changed to the emerald green; she stayed that color, only she began to glow, until she was nearly too bright to look at. Harry reached out his hand and put her back on his shoulder.

"Harry, I think that we have had enough for today. We will continue with occlumency on Thursday, but for today, I believe we've had enough excitement. I need time to think things over." He twiddled his wand and the time charm was released. "Until Thursday."

"See you then, professor."

**A/N: **REVIEW!!!

Thanks to: **I-Confuse-Everyone, Laura Lovegood, poodernoobies, GringottsVault711, FunnyLoon00, and nogoalielikeme. **I absolutely love getting reviews, so keep it up!!


	9. ToDo List

**Disclaimer: **YAWN!!! I'm so _tired_ of repeating this, so I'll let you use your HP knowledge to fill in the blanks.

**A/N:** This excuse goes out to all of you who are anxious to see Luna come into the story. I am currently favoring (that's not really the word for it-more like obsessing over) the Harry/Ginny ship, so it is becoming increasingly difficult to remember my original intent. However, I AM going to keep on with my plan and put Harry and Luna together EVENTUALLY, and save HG for a later fic. It's just going to be a little harder than I expected. Ah, well. Enough of my babbling, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 9-To-Do List

Harry returned to his room to find Hermione, Ron, and Ginny waiting for him.

"Well? What did he say?" Ginny's impatience was showing.

"About what?" Harry played ignorant, and was answered by several pillows flying his way. Fortunately, every one of them fell exactly 6 inches short of hitting him. "Alright, alright! What do you want to know?"

Hermione gave him a skeptic look that said, "As if you don't know." Instead of saying this, she started listing a few of the many questions that were on the surface of her mind. "First off, I'd like to know what an ever-changing aura is. And don't even pretend that you didn't ask any questions." She and the other two were now looking up at Harry expectantly.

"Well, I did manage to ask some questions, but not nearly as many as I wanted." He went on to explain everything about auras, Hermione occasionally nodding as if to confirm the trueness of the facts. It was when he got to the part of the ever-changing auras that Hermione stopped nodding and started to listen. After finishing his little lesson, Harry surveyed his friends, searching for any type of reaction.

Hermione was looking stunned and eager, and Harry could see the gears in her mind working overtime, thinking up a whole assortment of books to look up. Ron was staring blankly at the wall, words obviously failing him. Ginny was much the same, only she was gazing intently at Avii.

"Hello? Earth to everyone?" Harry made an attempt to get his friends out of their trances.

Ron was the first to 'wake,' so to speak. "That's crazy, Harry. Only I wonder what the colors actually mean. It'd be really interesting to find out..."

"Is Ronald Weasley suggesting a study session!?!" Hermione said in mock surprise. "Today will be marked in history books as 'The Day Ronald Weasley Wanted To Read.' What a wonderful holiday that would be, don't you think, Ginny?" She glanced over to Ginny, who was laughing fit to burst.

"Oh, sod off, why don't you! I only said I was curious!"

Hence, all the tension that had formerly resided between the four evaporated quickly.

"Well, I suppose it would be a good idea to look it up."

"Right, so we'll add that to our 'to-do' list," Harry said. "It currently consists of about fifty things, including researching my sudden change and defeating the most powerful wizard to cross the face of this earth." A momentary silence placed itself in the room before Hermione had the sense to ask another question.

"Did you find out anything else? You were gone for a full two minutes, and I can hardly think that a lesson about auras could take that long." She grinned mischievously at Harry, who met it with a smirk.

"Well, Dumbledore's aura is a _very_ bright white, and mine's ever-changing. What more could you ask of me? I'm not exactly a spout of information like some people I could mention." Harry glanced pointedly at Hermione, causing her to go a pleasant shade of magenta. "Only joking. Actually, I found out a bit more about the charm he uses to speed us up." Ron's attention perked considerably at this proclamation, prompting Harry to chuckle somewhat Dumbledore-like. "Did I show you what he got me for my birthday?" The other three shook their heads as he pulled out his new watch.

"Doesn't Dumbledore have a watch like that?" Ron asked.

"Yes, he does, and I was never able to figure out how he could make sense of it. Until I unwrapped it on my birthday. Another one of those 'random pieces of knowledge' dropped itself into my mind when I saw it, and I knew that it must have something to do with the charm. Dumbledore said that he had to go through quite a bit of trouble to get it for me, and even then it wasn't supposed to be 'for me.' He lied to the ministry and said he had lost his and needed an new one. Pity he wouldn't tell me how to work the spell."

Ron groaned. "I smell another library visit. Why can't things be easier than searching through endless books?"

Hermione ignored his statement and said, "Wow, Harry, Dumbledore must really like you. To go through all that trouble to get you a birthday gift?" Harry heard another gear clink into action and decided to change the subject. He still hadn't told his friends about the prophecy, and didn't feel the time was ripe yet.

"You know, Sirius once told me that there was a library in this house. I wonder if we could look up some of this stuff in there instead of waiting for term to start." He turned his attention towards the painting of his godfather, who was currently leaping around jovially in his dog form. "Sirius, could you tell me where it is?"

The dog morphed into the man Harry missed so much, laughing softly. "Not one to be fooled, are you, Harry? Knew I was listening in the whole time...I can actually tell you where the study is, but I don't know how much use it will be to you. The Blacks were known for their, shall we say, interesting collection of books? All the same, there were some useful tomes in the library as well. If you go up to the master bedroom I used to stay in, you'll see a mirror on the right-hand wall. I believe the password is 'serpent's lounge.' Not very original if you ask me, but, then again, it's not something you're likely to say to a mirror in normal circumstances."

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry managed to say before bolting out of his own room speedily. The others thanked him as well and followed their hasty friend.

**A/N: **Even though it's short, I rather liked this chapter. I got a lot of stuff in there that I really wanted to. If you hadn't noticed by now, I like to drop rather obvious subtle hints. 20 House Points goes to anyone who can guess what's going on with Harry. There are a few things I'm planning on doing with him, so any one will work.

Just so you know, things will really start to pick up when Harry goes back to Hogwarts, including romance (although it will probably take a back seat to everything else because I suck at anything to do with it.), explanations, and revelations. It'll all come together eventually.


	10. Serpent's Lounge

**Disclaimer: **Anyone who thinks I am JK Rowling will please follow my associate to the asylum. Thank you, and goodnight! da, dun, dun, tsss!

Chapter 10-Serpent's Lounge

Ginny, Ron, and Hermione arrived in the master bedroom panting heavily, having just climbed several flights of stairs at a sprint. Harry, on the other hand, was leaning casually against the wall, looking at his watch.

"What took you three so long," he said, smiling. The other three looked at him from their bent positions, clutching their sides and clearly annoyed.

Harry walked over to the mirror as directed and said "Serpent's lounge." The mirror did nothing for a second, and then it began to shimmer and liquidize. It took on the appearance of liquid mercury. Harry reached out one hand and stuck his first two fingers through the enchanted mirror. "I feels like water." And he promptly stepped through the material that was formerly the mirror. The others followed him, Ron first, then Hermione and Ginny.

Harry had taken only one step further away from the mirror before he got a good look at the room. The walls were covered in beautifully dark oak shelves, all full with books. There was a lone yet large desk in the center of the room, and there were staircases to the left and right of the mirror. The floor was made with black marble, except for a border made of a deep, jade green. Harry let his gaze go full-circle, and they landed on the ceiling; it was in great part a large skylight, with some stained glass encircling the main window. The rest was covered in detailed paintings depicting an array of magical creatures. He heard Hermione gasp behind him and knew that she was as impressed as he was.

"This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Hermione managed to squeak.

"Serpent's lounge isn't really the right name for it. You wouldn't think wizards as deep into the Dark Arts as the Blacks would have this kind of taste," Ron said.

Harry silently agreed, and then said, "I have a feeling they didn't have much of a choice when it came to this room's decor."

"How do you-" Hermione began, intending to ask how he knew, but she let it pass as a 'random piece of knowledge.'

The four walked further into the room, and then Hermione finally lost control and sped away happily to the nearest collection of books. The other three looked at each other and rolled their eyes before parting ways to do some searching of their own.

Harry walked straight over to the desk, letting curiosity take over, and observed the things sitting on it. The desk was made of the same oak as the shelves, and there was a magnificent, very comfortable-looking chair behind it. On the desk were a quill, a few rolls of parchment, and a very hefty book with a black and green binding. He made a motion to open the book, but it did so for him, revealing the title _The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black: Library Index_. Harry realized instantly how useful the tome could be, so he began to page through it, searching for anything that could start to explain his growth spurt. He quickly found that it was organized in alphabetical order, but, seeing as he didn't really know the subject he was searching for, he didn't have a clue where to start. Thinking about what might pertain to his project, he came up with a few ideas and looked back down at the book. Strangely enough, it had turned its own pages and now had several books highlighted in glowing bright red lettering, all of which had something to do with Harry's ideas. He copied down the book titles and went to search for them.

"Hey, Hermione, you might want to go check out that book on the desk," he half-yelled across the library.

"Why, what is it?"

"Nothing special. Just a Library Index with all the books listed in alphabetical order." He heard a screech as Hermione jumped for joy, and 5 seconds later she was standing at the desk, perusing its pages.

"Oooh, this is wonderful," she said with glee.

"I knew you'd like it." Looking back at the parchment in his hand, Harry walked over to the nearest shelf, in hopes of figuring out how the library was organized. Coincidentally, one of the books he was searching for was on the self just in front of him, one entitled _Growth in Magical Beings, by T. L. Augmenski_. Harry pulled it of the shelf and looked at the books around it to figure the organization. He easily put together that it was also arranged in alphabetical order, by the author's last name. He glanced at his list again and climbed the stairs that were on his right. Stopping on the landing, he reached again for another book on the list. This one was called _Magical Physiology: the Study of Witches' and Wizards' Life and Growth, by Professor P. S. Enigman_. Before moving on, he spotted the last of his selections, which was odd, because they were out of place. The title and author of the first being _For the Growing Witch or Wizard: Correlations Between the Physical and Magical, by I. T. Slinkt_, it shouldn't have been next to a book whose author's last name began with 'E.' The same thing applied for the second book, entitled _A Compilation of Ridiculously Complete Biographies of the Most Powerful Witches and Wizards Ever, by C. O. Pyus_. Harry assumed the books were simply misplaced, and made his way to the desk to begin his research.

"Anyone found anything useful yet," he heard Ron shout from the highest level.

One 'no' and a 'not really' later, Harry replied, "Yeah, I've got four books here that could prove to be quite useful.

"I'm coming down to help you, Harry. I'm hopeless at searching for books and finding real promising ones."

"Yeah, I'll come help too. I hate researching without knowing what I'm looking for," he heard Ginny from the right side of the mirror.

"You coming, too Hermione?"

"In a bit. I think I'll look a little more."

Remembering that there was only one chair, he flicked his wand in a lazy way and conjured up three more chairs identical to the one he was occupying.

Ron and Ginny arrived at the desk to find Harry happily paging through one of his selections.

"Geez, and I thought Hermione was good. How did you get so many books so quickly?"

Without taking his eyes off the page, Harry said, "See that huge book on the corner? It's an index. I just thought of what I wanted to find and it showed me a few things that might help out." The two Weasleys nodded to show how impressed they were with the book. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get to work!" he said playfully.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything that could explain why I look so different all of a sudden."

Ginny and Ron each grabbed a book and set about the work they were instructed. A few minutes later a very disappointed and slightly envious Hermione came to sit with the rest of them . "I couldn't find anything! Nothing about growth spurts, charmed watches, or beauvols! How the heck did you find so many, Harry?"

He frowned. "You did check out the index, didn't you?" After Hermione nodded, he continued, "Well, it should've shown you what you were looking for. That's what it did for me. I started thinking about what I needed to find out, and it highlighted a few hopefuls."

"Well, that's not what happened for me at all! After a while I realized it was set up the same way the whole library was, so I decided to abandon it and look at the actual books instead." She sounded so thoroughly disgruntled that Harry just looked at her, then offered the last book that he had found (or that had apparently found him, as it were). She took it, though reluctantly, and squashed herself into the remaining chair.

Harry had decided to look through _For the Growing Witch or Wizard: Correlations Between the Physical and Magical _first, and paused as he came across a promising paragraph.

_Most witches and wizards grow at the same pace a muggle might, their primary times of growth occurring when they are a baby and during puberty. However, there are too many cases of larger-than-life witches and wizards to be overlooked. These scenarios can be explained by the magic that resides in witches and wizards, which often expands to take up too much space to fit into an average-sized body. So, the body grows to accommodate the magic. This is seen in cases such as..._

Harry copied this piece of information onto a parchment and continued until he found another passage. There were two charts, side by side. The one labeled _Age vs. Amount of Magic _was a line graph, showing that as age increases, the amount of magic (commonly known as power) stays the same. Next to it there was a note that said, "_A witch or wizard might increase her or his power through experimentation and dangerous rituals, but most are not willing to go through so much and are content with their power status_." The other part of the chart showed another line graph, labeled _Age vs. Volume of Magic_, and it showed a slow but steady increase of Volume with aging until around 12 or thirteen, during which the line jetted upwards severely; after that the line became flat. Harry also copied this chart, underneath his other notes.

After searching a bit more and finding nothing else that could help him, he looked up at the others and asked, "How's it going?"

Hermione, who was writing on a piece of parchment with extreme vigor, said, "Great! I've got loads of notes, this book is really fascinating." Harry shifted himself in his chair to get a look at which book she had. It was _A Compilation of Ridiculously Complete Biographies of the Most Powerful Witches and Wizards Ever_. "There is just so much information."

"Are you finding anything about growth patterns?"

She finally looked up from her paper to give him an annoyed look. "Of course I have. I've been writing down every bit of information having to do with the physical _and_ magical growth of every person in this book. I haven't come across anything like what happened to you, yet, but I'm sure I will." It appeared that her trust in books had been restored from the let-down of earlier.

"All I'm finding is a bunch of garbage on what happens during puberty," Ron said, a slightly disgusted tone in his voice. He had the copy of _Growth in Magical Beings_.

"Ron, I think you should probably skip past the first few chapters if you want to find something useful." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Right, I knew that."

"What about you, Ginny? Finding anything?"

"This guy is mental," she said, referring to the author of _Magical Physiology: the Study of Witches' and Wizards' Life and Growth_. "He just keeps stressing how uncertain everyone is about the growth patterns of magic."

"Sound a bit like Firenze," muttered Ron.

Ginny ignored him and continued on her rant. "'_Even through extensive study, one cannot predict the way a witch or wizard will grow.' _I mean, honestly, why even write a book, if that's all you're going to say?"

"Feel better," Harry asked her.

"Hardly."

She sat back down and moved the book so that it sat on her lap. Harry was about to go back to his work when something caught his eye. "Ginny, could I see your book?" She nodded and handed it over to him.

He took it, straining to keep his hopes down, because he wasn't sure of what he saw. Turning his eyes to the page, he read:

_There has even been one case of a sudden growth spurt in which the wizard in question sprouted from 5 feet, 5 inches to an amazing 6 feet, 1 inch overnight. This occurrence has yet to be explained, though there are many theories. One such theory involves the magic which resides in the being bursting and taking up a considerably greater amount of space than before. Another, more far-fetched theory involves the amount of magic. However, it is a known fact that unless dangerous experiments or rituals are performed to increase the amount of magic, there can be no change in power. For proof of this, see I. T. Slinkt's _For the Growing Witch or Wizard: Correlations Between the Physical and Magical.

Harry glanced at his own notes to be sure that the book mentioned was the one he had earlier. It was. After adding the new information to his notes, he rolled up his parchment and said, "I'm going. I need to think this stuff over. Anyone else coming?" After no response from any of the others, he walked over to the mirror and stepped through. He traveled back to his room intending to owl Dumbledore about this. He couldn't wait for Thursday to find out if he was right.

**A/N:** Well, there she is, how did you like her? A bit longer than usual, but that shouldn't bother you. Slight cliffie, mwahaha. ahem, well, don't forget to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!!!


	11. Memory

**Disclaimer:** JK Rowling is a genius, I am but a humble high-school student who lives in the world she created.

Chapter 11-Memory

Harry watched Hedwig flying away from him and Grimmuald Place. After writing the letter to Dumbledore, he had told her, "Hurry up, I'm a bit impatient to get a reply on this letter," after which she blinked at him as if saying, "I understand."

Harry had a theory about what had happened to him the night of his sixteenth birthday, but he wanted to be sure. If he was right, it would mean that he was unique for another reason, he was the first of something. But that's not what made him so anxious. He was anxious because it would also explain a lot of other things that were happening to him. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he thought about it, he realized how much things had changed for him.

He walked back to his room and took note of the door opening itself for him, yet again. He hadn't noticed it before, but with the new information that had just come to light, he was starting to put the pieces together. Every door in the house opened for him, but they wouldn't open automatically for anyone else. And the index that had worked for him and not Hermione-that would be explained by his theory as well, along with what he now dubbed 'random bits of knowledge.' But he wanted to be sure.

He was pacing in his room, now, all these thoughts flying about in his head. He glanced over to Avii and was suddenly caught in her piercing glare.

In an instant, Harry felt himself black out and fall onto the floor.

Somehow, he found himself in the doorway to his bedroom, but now the lights were out and it was obviously nighttime. Harry walked further into his bedroom and surveyed it. The place had an odd quality to it, as though it were real but not quite concrete. Harry had experienced this before-he witnessed this type of atmosphere in Tom's diary and in Dumbledore's pensieve. He was dumbfounded as to who's memory he was in now and how he managed to get there.

There was a loud intake of breath from the bed, and Harry was pulled by some unknown force over to it. What he saw made him gasp just as loudly as the one he had just heard.

He was looking at himself on his own bed, watching himself in slow motion. He could feel the sensation that his past and scrawny self was feeling; it was as though something he was longing for was being poured into his body, mind, soul, and heart. He heard a second breath, and he saw his old self become the new; the old Harry Potter was morphing from a thin, short child, to a tall and muscular man. One last breath, and he felt complete for the first time in his life. The present Harry Potter felt a jolt, and when he opened his eyes he was back in the present.

"How did that happen?" he voiced aloud. He heard a soft, purring coo, and looked over to find Avii staring at him still. "It was you? But you weren't there when that happened, how could you have-" he stopped, mentally sorting 'research beauvols' to the top of his to-do list.

There was no doubt in Harry's mind anymore. He knew what happened to him. The only problem was, it was supposed to be impossible.

**A/N:** This chapter could be longer, but I couldn't resist the evil cliffie!! Muwahahahaha!

Oh, could anyone tell me whether (evil laughter above) is supposed to be spelled with a u or a w? I couldn't decide, so I used both. lol (just one of those wierd questions my mind comes up with-you don't need to bother answering ;D)


	12. Confirmations

**Disclaimer: **I'm sick of these. Anyone gots any polyjuice potion, so's I can change into JK and stop putting up disclaimers? No? Bugger!!

Chapter 12-Confirmations

Harry rushed out of his room; he could sense Hedwig returning with a return letter from Dumbledore. It wasn't as if Harry needed Dumbledore's opinion anymore, because he knew what happened when he turned 16, but he wanted to know what his headmaster thought.

He reached the window and threw it open so Hedwig could get in. As soon as she landed, he tore the letter of her leg, and muttered distractedly, "Thanks."

_Harry,_

_Your theory is not only entirely possible, it is also highly probable. Although it has never happened before, there is always a first for everything. I will be arriving at headquarters shortly to discuss the matter more thoroughly._

_Albus_

Harry crumbled up the parchment and toyed with it anxiously. If he didn't tell someone soon, he would likely burst and start shouting what he had discovered. _That wouldn't do. This has to be kept secret,_ he thought.

Five minutes later, Molly Weasley approached him and announced Dumbledore's arrival. "He seems a bit preoccupied, I don't know what you've done to excite him so," she commented before returning to her business.

Harry went to the study where he and Dumbledore normally met. His headmaster was waiting, and his twinkling eyes seemed to be on overdrive. After the door closed itself for Harry, Dumbledore performed his time charm and continued to stare, as though transfixed, at Harry.

"Are you going to tell me the details of this discovery you have made, Harry?"

Harry was glad Dumbledore had broken the silence. In the matter of a nanosecond, Harry found himself blurting out every bit of information he had read and inferred. "Yes, sir. I was researching my growth spurt in the Serpent's Lounge-"

"So you have discovered the Black family library? Might I ask where it is?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"It's behind the mirror in the room Sirius used to keep Buckbeak in, but that's beside the point." He took no care to hide his irritation at being interrupted. "Anyways, I was researching my growth spurt in the library, and I found a bit of information that got me thinking." He handed Dumbledore his notes and waited for him to finish reading. "That bit from _Magical Physiology_ is what really tipped me off."

"The part about the volume of the magic?" A confused complexion flickered over Dumbledore's face.

"No, the part about the far-fetched theory involving the amount of magic, which I believe is also known as power." Dumbledore nodded, and then a look of realization took over his features.

"You think..."

"I _know_. During the first breaths of my sixteenth birthday, I was filled with power, I was completed. I _know_ that's what happened, and I know that it couldn't have happened earlier in my life because I wasn't ready for it, I didn't have any control over my magic before." He looked at his headmaster, who now had a look of awe spread across his face.

"That's incredible...But how can you know for certain?"

"I know because I saw it, because I felt it."

"But you said you didn't remember anything from that night."

"Not consciously, no. But somehow my brain showed me what happened. I physically went into my own memory of that night and saw what happened. I even felt what happened. It was incredible, as if I was supposed to feel like this my whole life, but I wasn't ready for so much. It was time for my magic to come into me, I guess. Let me tell you, it was one crazy experience, seeing myself grow from what I was to what I am now in the space of about 20 seconds." He shook his head in disbelief.

Dumbledore's eyes were glazed over. He had a pensive look, and when he spoke, he was very deliberate. "Harry, you must tell noone. This has to be kept secret." Harry nodded to show that he understood. "We'll talk more on Thursday, Harry."

Harry took the hint and stood to leave as Dumbledore was releasing the charm. "See you Thursday, headmaster."

As he walked out of the room, he could have sworn he heard Dumbledore saying, "Amazing...most incredible...can see..."

**A/N:** Yay!!! I finally gave you an answer!! Don't you just love it when Harry teaches Dumbledore? I do!!! Well, now that's over with, I think I should thank a few people for reviewing. D

Thanks to **GringottsVault711 **as usual, your reviews are the best!!

Thanks** idiot with reason **for your ideas. I have something else in mind for Avii, but don't worry, it's just as good as mindspeak! Oh, by the way, korny is my own personal way of spelling the word. It's in my made-up dictionary. ;)

**FunnyLoon00** your reviews are great, and let me just tell you that you are good at guessing. ahem, that's all I will say on that.

**nogoalielikeme**, I don't think I'll have Harry learn to be an animagus, simply because JK said he wouldn't have time to. But...there are other things...

Thanks also to **poodernoobies, Erinamation-limited2-nothing, Sweetest Thang, I-Confuse-Everyone, **and** Esrb99** for reviewing! It means so much sniff that you care sniff.


	13. OWL's and Such

**Disclaimer: **mmbleh. I don't own Harry Potter, so lay off. Hhmph!

**A/N: **Changed a few things from when I first posted. Enjoy.

Chapter 13-O.W.L.'s and Such

Harry had a restless night's sleep following his conversation with his headmaster. He repeatedly dreamt of the night of his sixteenth birthday, only at the end he was either struck by lightening or he burst into flames. Every time this would happen he would awake suddenly, groan, and roll over to go back to sleep. Needless to say, when morning came he walked into the kitchen groggy and tired. He was quickly distracted and didn't spare a thought to the past week's events due to the arrival of a certain letter.

"Harry dear, you look like you've been hit by a train, are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley was seated at the table with Ginny when Harry came in.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired is all."

She eyed him suspiciously, but decided to take his word for it. "There's breakfast on the stove, Dobby made up some pancakes. Oh, and your Hogwarts letter arrived earlier this morning."

Harry's attention perked when he heard this. "Where?" Mrs. Weasley pointed to the counter, and Harry hurried over to grab it. He hadn't forgotten about his owl results, and he was expecting them much earlier. He held the letter in his hand for a moment, afraid to open it. _What if I did horrible? What if I didn't pass potions? What if I can't become an Auror?_ No longer able to handle the anticipation, he tore open the letter and read quickly.

"What's the matter, Harry, dear?" Mrs. Weasley was looking at Harry concernedly again, and for good reason. Harry was staring at his letter like it was an appointment for death. "Harry, are you okay?"

"I-this can't-these scores can't be mine." Mrs. Weasley got up from the table and walked towards Harry.

"Of course they are. Look, there's your name, right on top there."

"But-"

"I'm quite sure they are your scores. And I don't see what you're complaining about, those scores are quite acceptable."

She was right. Harry was just having trouble believing them. He looked back at the letter.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Enclosed are your results from your Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.'s) and the recommended courses for your intended career._

_Credits for results are as follows:_

_A, E, and O: pass-one O.W.L._

_T, D, P: fail-zero O.W.L._

_Your results:_

_Charms Theory: E_

_Charms Practical: O_

_Cumulative: O_

_DADA Theory: O_

_DADA Practical: O_

_Cumulative: O_

_Potions Theory: O_

_Potions Practical: E_

_Cumulative: O_

_Care of Magical Creatures Theory: O_

_Care of Magical Creatures Practical: O_

_Cumulative: O_

_Transfiguration Theory: E_

_Transfiguration Practical: E_

_Cumulative: E_

_Divination Theory: A_

_Divination Practical: P_

_Cumulative: P_

_History of Magic: D_

_Astronomy: A_

_Total O.W.L.'s: 12_

_Admittance to N.E.W.T. level classes is granted based on the cumulative grades and by the Professor's preferred achieved grade._

_Recommended N.E.W.T. Preparatory Courses for _Auror:

_Charms_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_Potions_

_Transfiguration_

_Healing_

_Please note that you will be required to take several elective courses in order to fulfill your graduation requirements. The above courses are only the core classes required for Auror training._

_I look forward to seeing you in the upcoming year._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry read over his letter several more times, double and triple checking the name on the top, until he was able to believe it. _How did I manage 12 O.W.L.'s? And an _A_ in_ Divination _I don't even want to know how I managed _that.

He was interrupted by Ron coming into the kitchen, his usual morning self.

"Wha'sferbrehfast," he said, looking around through sticky eyes.

"Oh, good morning, Ron. There're pancakes on the stove."

"Thanesmum."

Five minutes later, after Ron had had sufficient time to wake up, and in between bites of pancake, he looked up to see Harry still staring at his Hogwarts letter. "Is that the

Hogwarts letter? Where's mine?"

"On the counter," he said distractedly.

Ron picked up his letter and opened it. "Oh, yeah, O.W.L. results. I forgot about those." He unfolded his report and nodded. "Not bad, I got 9 O.W.L.'s." Mrs. Weasley interrupted him with a delighted squeal.

"Oh, Ron, I'm so proud of you! 9 O.W.L.'s, that's excellent, I can hardly believe it!"

After he finished blushing, he continued, "Mostly E's and A's, only I got an O in Defense and Charms and a D in Divination. To be honest, I didn't think I would do that well in Divination." He looked over to Harry and asked, "How'd you do, mate?"

Harry shook himself out of his day dream. "Uh I got-I got-" Ron grabbed the parchment out of his hand before he could finish. "Hey, give that back," he said, desperate.

Ron was looking at the letter the same way Harry was at first. "Harry, these scores are brilliant. Twelve O.W.L.'s! Wait a second. This can't be right. How did you manage an A in Divination?"

"What, you think I cheated?" Harry burst, suddenly angry and offended.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, mate. I was thinking about how much we cheated on our homework. Come on, how could anyone manage that good of a score with our study habits in that class?"

Harry thought about what Ron said, and decided he was right. This brought on a whole new wave of emotions. A stray quote crept into his head. "_I swear I will do everything possible so that you will become an auror."_ He identified it as what Professor McGonagall said to him during the career conference during fifth year. A crazy idea popped into his mind. _What if the scores were fixed?_ He voiced his opinion to Ron.

"That's crazy! Why would anyone do that?" Then Harry told him what McGonagall said. "She would never do that, Harry. You earned your scores." However, he sounded somewhat skeptical this time.

Hermione chose this time to enter. "Scores? You mean our O.W.L. results are in? It's about time, I've been waiting all summer for those things." She picked up her letter and squealed in delight. She did not, however, tell her scores. After 30 seconds of looking like she was about to burst, Ron decided to put her out of her misery.

"If you want to know our scores, why don't you just ask? I got 9 O.W.L.'s."

"Wow, 9 O.W.L.'s Ron? That's wonderful!"

There was a long pause. "And you got..." Ron started for her.

"Well, I got 16-"

"Sixteen O.W.L.'s? Is that even possible?" Ron was looking at her like she was crazy.

"Of course it is. I took 9 classes, Ron, I could've had 18 O.W.L.'s. Oooh, I'm so angry that I only managed an E in Astronomy. If that rotten Umbridge hadn't interrupted our exam I would've managed a better score!"

"Hermione-16 O.W.L.'s. That's probably more than anybody has _ever_ managed. Why are you complaining about an E?"

"Oh, hush, Ron." She turned to Harry. "How did you do, Harry?"

"He got 12 bloody O.W.L.'s."

"Thank you, Ron, but I believe I asked _Harry_ how he did." Averting her attention back to Harry, she said, "Is he right?" Harry nodded. "Oh, that's wonderful, Harry! I can't believe it! Well, of course I can believe it, but, anyways, that's incredible! Congratulations!"

"Er-thanks, Hermione."

"You all did wonderfully, I'm so proud of all of you." Mrs. Weasley proceeded to pull the trio into a group hug, and afterwards she said, "We'll plan on going into Diagon Alley the day before term starts. Albus wanted a guard to accompany us, and that's the only day he could assemble one." The three nodded to show their understanding.

* * *

The rest of the summer holidays passed in a blur. Harry spent much of his time gathering his things for school; it was taking much longer than he had expected, because it turned out that his belongings had been spread throughout the house, and it was more than difficult to find them all. The rest of his time was spent either in his room, thinking about his new situation and what it meant, with Dumbledore in the study practicing Occlumency, or in the Serpent's Lounge browsing the shelves. Unfortunately, there were no books on beauvols or the charm that Dumbledore performed.

Harry had been making sufficient progress in his Occlumency. Ever since his birthday, the block he had seemed to have formed in regards to occlumency success apparently vanished, and it made for smoother sailing in his lessons.

One afternoon, about two weeks after his epiphany about his new build, Dumbledore made a motion that indicated that he wanted Harry to stay a moment longer after the lesson.

"I would like to talk to you about your newly acquired appearance, Harry." He had been unusually blunt these days, and the more frequent phrase associated with him (at least to Harry) was, 'always straight to the subject, that one.' "As you know, you are nearly a foot taller than you were at the end of last term. While some of it can be explained by a rather sudden growth spurt, I think it best that we not startle the general public with the new you." _At least, not yet._ He waited for indication that Harry was following him.

Continuing, he said, "I think you would agree that it would be best if you were to change back, for the time being."

Harry looked at him incredulously. "It's not like I have any control over how I look. I can't just change back."

"Of course you can, Harry." His twinkling eyes were set to 'annoyingly coy,' and the effect was not lost on Harry. Dumbledore decided to answer Harry's unasked, yet obvious, question. "There is a type of Transfiguration, Harry, that can change your appearance. It among the most advanced Transfiguration that can be learned; a kind of replacement for those of us without the unique Metamorphmagus abilities, you see. It is well beyond O.W.L. level, even more difficult than most N.E.W.T. level spells taught at Hogwarts. However, I have confidence that you can and will learn this spell, Harry." He peered at his pupil over the top of his half-moon spectacles, wearing a look that said, 'or else.'

Harry nodded. The headmaster went on to teach the spell to Harry, and performed it once on himself; he charmed himself to be three feet tall, and Harry was only able to restrain his laughter because of the little respect he still held for the headmaster.

"Yes, I imagine I look quite like the common muggle garden gnome,' Dumbledore said after he reverted back to his regular height.

* * *

August 31 dawned hot and muggy. The clouds were threatening heavy rain, and the humidity was stifling. 12 Grimmuald Place was bustling with rushing people. Mrs. Weasley was trying to get everybody organized and ready to leave, but was having little success. 

"Ginny, go get the floo powder," she said to her daughter, who was presently trying to eat a quick breakfast of jellied toast. "Ron! Hurry up and get ready, I can't believe you're not dressed yet!" Ron, as usual, was leaning on the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Mum, I've just woken up, give me an hour or so."

"AN HOUR? RON, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU! Just go get ready, we're leaving in 10 minutes."

Harry watched this comical scene from his seat at the kitchen table. He was adorned with his old height, having learned the Appearance Spell in a grueling three days and much hard work. He was ready to go and was enjoying the busy show in front of him.

"What are you laughing at, mate? You could've at least woken me up," Ron said scathingly.

"Oh, no, I've heard the stories about people waking you up from Ginny. I'd rather not risk it." Ron just glared.

"Where's Hermione, anyways? Is she still sleeping? I thought I was the late sleeper, she is always up well before I am."

"I don't know where she is. Probably in the Serpent's Lounge. She spends more time in there than humanly possible," Harry commented.

"Oh, but you forget, Hermione isn't a human, she's a walking dictionary."

"I am not Ron!" Hermione arrived, proving Murphy's Law splendidly. She hit him playfully with the copy of the _Prophet _she was carrying. "Just because I enjoy reading..."

"You don't _enjoy _reading, Hermione, you worship it. Reading is a religion for you."

"No it's not, Ron, just because I..."

Harry averted his attention elsewhere, keen to stay out of yet another pointless argument between his best friends. Twenty minutes later, he found himself, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Mundungus Fletcher, and Kingsly Shackelbolt gathered around the fireplace in the kitchen.

Mr. Weasley was giving the group instructions. "Okay, so Kingsly and I will go first to wait for the rest of you. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny will be followed by Harry, then Molly and the rest of the guard. Understand?" They all nodded. "Right." He took a pinch of floo powder, and, stepping into the flames, said, "Diagon Alley!" The rest of the group followed as instructed and arrived in the Leaky Cauldron full of ash, but safe.

A/N: As always, please REVIEW!


	14. Padfoot's Last Prank

**Disclaimer: **'nuff said.

**A/N:** If you read ch. 13 before this update, you should know that Dumbledore taught Harry a new trick: how to hide his new appearance. Basically, Harry can now shrink himself to his old size. See ch. 13 for, if I do say so myself, a rather amusing scene between headmaster and pupil.

Chapter 14 - Padfoot's Last Prank

"All here?" Harry heard Mr. Weasley ask. "Good. Gringotts first, I think." He escorted the group to the alleyway behind the Leaky Cauldron and tapped the wall on the appropriate bricks.

Harry drank in the sight as if he were looking at it for the first time. He hadn't been to the wizarding center in too long a time. As they made their way down the narrow streets, Harry spotted various members of the Order that had traveled by floo with them but were now keeping watch from the sidelines. Tonks was sporting a very fashionable "school-boy" look at Florean Fortesque's, and Kingsley could be spotted hidden under the hood of a dark cloak by the entrance of the nearby Apothecary. Moody was accompanying the group of Weasleys (Harry and Hermione included), as his prominent features were not easily hidden, and his stares a rather useful sort of intimidating.

When they arrived at the prestigious wizarding bank, Harry separated slightly from the group and took a spot in one of the lines. As he approached the counter, the attending goblin said, "Name?"

"Harry Potter."

The goblin gave him a long stare over his rectangular glasses, running his eyes up and down the full length of his body. "Which of your vaults will you be visiting today?" he asked after a short pause.

"Er-" Harry didn't know he had more than one. He opted to just stick with the only one he knew, and pronounced his vault number.

The goblin nodded and hopped off his high stool. "Follow me, please."

He lead Harry to the entrance to the underground system of vaults.

"Ahem-excuse me, sir?" Harry addressed the goblin.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"There will be a certain unseeable entity accompanying me to my vault." He nodded suggestively to his general right. He knew Lupin was lurking somewhere with an invisibility cloak, and he didn't want to betray the goblin's trust by sneaking a stowaway onto one of the bank's carts.

The goblin nodded slowly, as if trying to comprehend Harry's words. "I understand, Mr. Potter," he said, although Harry wasn't entirely sure that he did.

On the way to the vaults, Harry whispered over his shoulder, "Hey Remus!" There was the sound of someone's shoes screeching to a halt, and Harry bumped firmly into Lupin.

"Harry! I didn't know you knew I was with you!"

"Er-sorry?" Harry said jokingly. "Did you know that I had more than one vault?"

"Well..."

"Why doesn't anyone around here tell me anything?" He was fed up with having to get 'privileged' information from an outside source.

"Look, Harry, I wasn't even sure myself. I just assumed you would know, what with getting part of Sirius' inheritance and all."

Harry stiffened at the mention of his godfather's name. True, he had gotten over his death, for the most part, but being reminded that he was getting paid for it didn't help at all. He took a deep breath and calmed himself.

The tense moment was broken by the goblin announcing their arrival at their transport. They climbed into the cart and were soon hurdling through the many passageways leading deep into the ground beneath Gringotts.

They reached Harry's vault in no time, and Harry scooped a year's worth of galleons, sickles, and knuts into his satchel quickly.

He was emerging from the doorway of the vault when his escort spoke.

'You are sure you would not like to visit another of your vaults?"

Harry raised his eyebrow pointedly, hoping that he was facing Lupin's general direction. "Do you think I should, Lupin?"

A voice 15 feet to the left of where he was looking answered him in an angry whisper, "Harry! You have _got _to stop doing that. You're not supposed to know I'm here, remember? No one is!"

"Okay, okay, sorry. No need to yell."

Unbeknownst to Harry, Remus gave him a rather exaggerated eye-roll. Sighing, he said, "I don't see why not. We're here and we have some time to spare."

"Very well," the goblin said, "And which vault will you be visiting?"

Harry raised one eyebrow. "The one with my inheritance from Sirius Black, I suppose."

They arrived at the high-security vault after a long and bumpy ride through the caves.

"Vault number 12, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," the goblin said formally. After Lupin and Harry stepped out of the cart, he continued, "This vault is under rather special conditions. In order to gain access to it, you must place your right index finger into that hole." He pointed to a hole to the left of the door.

Harry did as he was directed and immediately regretted it. After the goblin placed his hand on the center of the vault door, Harry found that the pain that accompanied the moment of insertion was incredible, and, had it not been so short, Harry would have pulled his finger out immediately.

Harry felt his finger being sliced off, and a tenth of a second later, it was back in place. He wrenched his finger out furiously and shook his hand in an attempt to rid it of the residual pain he was experiencing.

Meanwhile, Lupin had lost all regard to secrecy and was lecturing the goblin in heavy, stressed syllables barely below a yell. "What the bloody hell did it do to Harry? If I find out he is permanently injured, you are in for it..."

But Harry was paying no heed to Lupin's rant. His attention was fixed on his right forefinger. When he had placed it into the slot, it had been bare, unmarked; now, there was a black, ring-shaped tattoo around it. He studied it further and traced the outline of what looked like a lizard. "What-" he started to wonder aloud, but his thoughts were interrupted by an unbidden piece of information. _It is the key._

Meanwhile, the goblin finally found a gap in Remus' speech and filled it with an answer to the puzzled look on Harry's face. "It is the key," he said. "The security system requires the holder of the vault to have the key imprinted into his or her skin; the only people with access to this vault have that tattoo."

Harry glanced back down at his finger to inspect the tattoo more closely, but it had vanished.

The goblin answered his next questioning look without hesitation. "It disappears, only to reappear when it is needed. For secrecy's sake."

Harry nodded to show his understanding. "Could I-er-get into the vault, now?"

"Certainly, Mr. Potter. Simply insert your finger into the key hole once again."

Harry gave him an uneasy glance. After what happened the last time he did what the goblin ordered, he ended up getting branded with a highly painful tattoo. However, having little choice to do something else, he complied to the goblin's directions.

There was a series of clinking noises and then a hiss, and a moment later Harry and an invisible Remus were standing in the gaping doorway to an empty vault.

"What the-?"

"Where is all the gold?" Harry heard Remus intone.

Then, from just outside the vault's entrance, the goblin's voice echoed in, saying, ''I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Potter. Somebody must have emptied the vault. If you would come with me, I will escort you back to the main floor and we can try and sort this out."

Harry was shocked, and he could only nod his weary agreement. A small piece of parchment caught his eye before he left the vault, and he grabbed it before climbing into the cart with the goblin.

They arrived at the main lobby of Gringotts a short time later, the ride back being much quicker than the ride to the vault. The goblin called out to another in Gobbledegook, and a hasty and secretive meeting took place quietly in front of Harry.

After the second goblin left, Harry asked the first, "Excuse me, but could you tell me what's going on?"

"Forgive me, Mr. Potter, but this matter is strictly Gringotts business, now."

"I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON!" Harry erupted, looming over the goblin. The lights in the bank flickered, and a gust of wind swept through the building, rustling Harry's hair about so it revealed his scar plainly. He was not going to let this slip past him. He didn't want to be pushed to the side because it supposedly 'wasn't his business.' "It very well is my business, seeing as it was my vault that was emptied," he said through his teeth but more quietly than before; his sudden outburst had attracted more than a few unwanted stares.

The goblin, who had withered in Harry's presence when he exploded, now seemed unphased in the calmed atmosphere, and he started to protest; but after a long, appraising look, he said, "We are doing our best to find out who emptied the vault. It could have been any direct relative to the Black family."

Harry remembered the Black family tapestry. _Oh no. _"That could mean that the Malfoys..." He whispered urgently to no one in particular.

The goblin seemed slightly surprised that Harry would know anything about the Black lineage, but only nodded slowly in agreement. "Indeed, the Malfoys are some of those we are investigating. As of now, there is nothing you can do but wait." He gave Harry a curt nod and left.

Harry walked over to where the Weasleys were gathered. They all gave him worried looks. Before they could start firing questions his way, he said, "I visited the Black vault. Someone's had it emptied."

There was a general look of concern and worry on the faces of the group. Moody muttered something and a silvery wisp shot out of his wand. Harry swore it looked like a phoenix.

"Dumbledore should know soon."

Harry took a seat on the nearby bench and slouched, his hands in his pockets. His left hand grasped something, and he pulled it out. The parchment he had found in the vault was sitting in his hand, crinkled into a messy ball.

He unfolded it carefully and read the vividly familiar handwriting of Sirius Black.

_To Whom it May Concern (hopefully Harry) - _

_So, I croaked, did I? That's rotten luck, that is._

_Well, I expect you're rather disappointed at finding an empty vault. Don't worry, it's not empty. You just have to know how to find what's in it. _

_Not quite a map, but just as mischievous, yes? One of my last and greatest tricks, I'll bet._

_Clean up after yourself,_

_Snuffles_

Harry stared at the letter, completely bewildered. It was obvious it was from Sirius, but Harry could hardly make head or tails of it. "Remus," he hissed, hoping he was within hissing range.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Have a look at this," Harry replied. "I found it in the vault. I think it has something to do with a revealing charm, but I can't figure it out."

Remus read the note carefully. It looked a bit strange, what with a piece of parchment floating in midair, so Harry offered to hold it.

"It sounds like you've got the gist of it, Harry," Remus offered after a moment's thoughtful silence. "I think I can take it one step further, though. You see this part about a map? You know the one, right?" He had a finger pointed on the parchment, but Harry couldn't see it. He nodded. "Right, well, I think he was hinting that he's got the contents of the vault hidden under a similar spell, with a password, and all."

"Okay. Well, what's the password then?"

"I don't know." Lupin said slowly. After another moment of staring with unseen eyes at the letter, he spoke up again. "Maybe there's a reason he signed it Snuffles. Maybe it's supposed to be part of the password. It's not as if he needs to keep his identity secret, not when he's dead."

"Why would he put part of the password directly in the letter, though," Harry reasoned.

"Right. Well, then, maybe it's Padfoot instead of Snuffles...I can't figure the rest of it though," he finished, frustrated.

Harry perused the parchment with his eyes several times over before coming up with anything useful. "What about this part about tricks? Could that have anything to do with it?"

Lupin nodded slowly, contemplating the idea. "Hmmm. Maybe he's going with synonyms? Let's see...tricks...fools...tricks...ah, I was never good in Language class!"

"Did we hear someone say tricks?" A pair of bright red heads was waking towards Harry and Lupin, attracting disapproving looks from the dignified population of goblins.

"I believe we did, George, what do you say about that?"

"Well, if someone's going to prank someone they could at least buy their tricks from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes!" spewed George.

"Pranks! Fred, George, you're a genius!" Harry burst. "Remus, it's pranks!"

Fred and George were looking at Harry as if he were crazy, but continued with their jovial conversation nonetheless. "Of course we're a genius, Harry! Glad you noticed."

"That's right, two halves make a whole, isn't that right, Fred?"

"Right! Now, Harry, were you talking to air, or is Remus around here somewhere?"

"Oh! He's-" wink, wink, "not here. I was just thinking about a conversation we had _earlier_," he informed, barely moving his head in Lupin's invisible direction.

"Oh, right." Fred winked back. "Well, good seeing you here, mate-"

"But we Weasleys have important business to attend to here at Gringotts!" The twins made a loud exit and left Harry to converse in low tones with Lupin.

"Harry, that's brilliant! Pranks and Padfoot, right? Maybe we can convince a goblin to take us back down to the vault."

Harry stood up, nodding to the Weasleys still grouped together and muttering quietly, to walk to one of the counters where there was an available goblin.

"Potter," Moody growled. "What are you doing?"

Harry explained about the letter and told him that he planned to test the vault with the revealing charm.

The auror inspected him carefully with both eyes and nodded. "Just so long as Lupin goes with you."

A few short moments later, Harry and Remus were shooting through the underground system in one of Gringotts' rickety carts.

When they arrived back at the vault, Harry jumped out of the cart and immediately shot towards the key hole. The door opened, revealing the still-empty vault.

Harry stared blankly into the room. "So...now what?"

"Well, we point our wands and say the password." He pulled out his wand, cleared his throat, and said, "Padfoot's Pranks." Nothing.

"I don't think that was it."

"Right. Different password. Erm- Padfoot loves pranks?" Still nothing.

"Here, let me have a go. _Ahem_. Padfoot promises one last prank," Harry said confidently.

Remus gave him a questioning look that was lost on Harry, who couldn't see him. At any rate, the boy-who-lived's attention was focused on the room in front of them.

It was shimmering. The air seemed to be moving in a water-like manner, gentle waves were disrupting its smooth surface. A moment later, an entirely different scene was showing itself to the pair.

"Where did you come up with that password," Lupin asked weakly; he was too awestruck to put any conviction into his question.

The vault contents were in plain sight, now, and Harry was amazed to say the least. There was plenty of gold, yes, but the collection of items within was more impressive than the riches the vault beheld. There was a complete library sitting on shelves that covered every wall, and in one area there was a group of artifacts that looked suspiciously like weapons. Harry walked to these, first, and picked up a note that was on top of the stack.

_Useful things, these. Hope you make good use of them._

Harry handed the note over to Remus, who had by now taken the invisibility cloak off completely. There was no point in him reacting to something if nobody could see him do it.

A rather shiny cloak caught Harry's eye; at first, he thought it might have been something akin to an invisibility cloak, but it had a different look to it. It was a beautiful piece of artwork, really, with an odd, crystalline shimmer woven into the white cloth. Harry took it off its stand, and another note fell out of it.

_Standard cloak with unknown powers. Ridiculously rare. It did have some kind of resistance to dark spells. Don't know how my family got a hold of it, really._

There were many other items, each with a similar note attached. Harry took only the cloak and some books with him when he left; nothing else seemed to offer immediate usefulness.

Just before the two left, they had to figure out how to hide the contents again. After the traditional, "Mischief managed," and a few other failed tries, they discovered it to be, "Pilfering Perfected," and left.

When Harry and Lupin returned to the main floor, yet again, the Weasleys looked at them expectantly.

"Everything all right?" Mr. Weasley asked. His haggard appearance marked a long day of tiring anticipation, and it was just before 1 pm.

"Everything is sorted out," Harry replied. "Just a minor misunderstanding."

"Oh, good. Well, shall we be moving along, then?"

The rest of the day passed by in a flash, with visits to the book store, the owl emporium, the apothecary, and several to the quidditch shop. They returned to Grimmuald place tired but accomplished.

* * *

Hardly 5 minutes went by before they got back and Dumbledore could be found standing in the doorway of Harry's bedroom. Harry was unpacking all of his supplies and re-packing them into his trunk.

"I assume everything went smoothly?" Dumbledore provided as an introduction.

"For the most part, sir."

"And everything went well at the bank." His tone did not indicate that he was prodding for information, but Harry knew that information was what his headmaster wanted. He momentarily contemplated keeping the events of the afternoon to himself, but then he reminded himself that Lupin was with him the whole time.

"Well, sir, everything eventually turned out fine."

Dumbledore waited patiently for Harry to begin.

Harry took a heavy breath, looking at the floor, and let it out before starting. " The vault wasn't really empty." He handed the letter from Sirius over. "We just needed to say the password for the Revealing Charm."

Dumbledore nodded. Harry hoped that he would be satisfied with his explanation, but if he wasn't, he would have to ask Remus. Harry didn't feel like retelling the day's events in lengthy detail.

"I'm glad you figured it out Harry. Are you ready to leave for Hogwarts tomorrow?"

"I was just getting ready."

After their short conversation, Dumbledore exited quietly, not bothering to give the letter back to Harry.

**

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